League 2 leaders Arbroath head for third-placed Albion Rovers this Saturday looking to bounce back from their 2-1 defeat to Queen’s Park last weekend.
However, a former Spider is keen to help inflict a first away defeat of the season on Allan Moore’s side and help his Coatbridge team move closer to the summit.
Striker John Gemmell completed a hat-trick of moves to Cliftonhill in the summer and is now looking to help them secure their second promotion with him in their ranks.
Darren Young’s side go into the game on the back of a goalless draw at East Fife last weekend and Gemmell said: “It was a good point at Bayview in what turned out to be a scrappy game. The weather ruined it and sometimes you have to accept getting a clean sheet and a point and move on.”
The Red Lichties’ defeat at Gayfield saw their lead cut to five points over Queen’s Park and six points over Rovers and the Coatbridge side have the chance to enhance their own promotion claims in their next two outings.
Gemmell explained: “It is a shame for my first club Queen's Park that all the attention has been on Arbroath as they have had a terrific season as well. They have an excellent experienced coach in Gus MacPherson and going there and winning last weekend was a great result.
“However, it would be great for us to beat Arbroath and for Queen's to drop points at Elgin. We face Queen’s Park after we play Arbroath and six points from six would be a great return.”
The 30-year-old is enjoying his third spell at Cliftonhill and said: “I missed some of the early stages of the season but I have hit six goals now and I am pleased with my form overall.
“I scored two in the Scottish Cup against Queen's Park the other week and I was delighted with that as those goals helped us get through.
“I am enjoying being at the Rovers again and the manager Darren Young, along with his assistant Sandy Clark, is making it really enjoyable for the players.
“Sandy has plenty of experience to call on and Darren is still a top player so it is all going well. They seem happy overall with where we are but two wins in the next week or so would make them even happier.”
If things had worked out differently this summer Gemmell could actually have been playing against Albion Rovers.
He added: “I spoke to Arbroath’s previous manager Paul Sheerin a lot during the summer and was impressed with what he had to say. I had not been happy with my last few months at Stenhousemuir and I needed to make the right choice about my next club.
“I had been at Montrose earlier in my career and the travelling to training from Glasgow was an issue. I remember things were best summed up when I drove up for my release papers and on the way back I had a flat tyre beside Gleneagles - I had to go out in the pouring rain and fix it.
"Arbroath sounded good but I did not fancy the travelling again so I went back to the Rovers.”
Craig Stewart
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