Why Arbroath are worthy favourites for the Championship

The bookmakers may not agree, but Hamilton boss Stuart Taylor believes Arbroath are favourites to win the Championship title.

Hamilton Accies manager Stuart Taylor. (Photo by Ross MacDonald / SNS Group)

The Red Lichties are top on merit, but their modest means and part-time status against the likes of Kilmarnock and Inverness comes as somewhat of a surprise at the halfway stage of the season.

Dick Campbell’s team have not let up after impressing in a top half finish last season and now Taylor believes they are equipped to make the unlikely step up into the top flight.

Bookmakers still rank Kilmarnock, who edged Hamilton in a Boxing Day thriller 3-2, as 11/8 favourites with Inverness and Partick also shorter odds than the league leaders.

But Taylor, who won the division as a player with Falkirk in 2003 alongside veterans including Owen Coyle, John Hughes and John Henry, says the experience in the Arbroath ranks sets them apart.

"You can laugh off the comments about how Leicester did it – but they’re a very experienced side,” he said.

“I class them as favourites to go and win the league and even earlier in the season, before they went on their runs I said it was a hard place to go because of the experience in their team and they should have that pressure on to win the league.

"They were a well-organised side, they know exactly what they are and the experience they have through every single position - they don’t have any young kids - the experience is incredible and that’s valuable in this league, as it is in every league.”

Taylor was due to take his Accies side to Gayfield tonight but the match has been postponed by the SPFL after a Covid outbreak left the Lanarkshire club without sufficient players to fulfil the fixture.

Raith's home match against Queen of the South has also been called off due to the number of Covid cases at the Dumfries side, leaving just three Championship fixtures to take place this evening.

Second-placed Inverness will look to close in on the inactive league leaders when they travel to struggling Dunfermline, while managerless Kilmarnock will have head of football operations James Fowler in the dug-out when they host Greenock Morton.

Ayr United, who are also without a manager following Jim Duffy’s sacking, travel to Firhill to face Partick Thistle.

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