Annan Athletic v Forfar Athletic – match preview

The ‘Loons’ head south on Tuesday night to face Annan Athletic in the semi-final first leg of the First Division play-off.

Amazingly both sides ‘crossed swords’ at the same stage of the end of season mini tournament back in May, 2017 when Forfar last clinched a move to higher echelons with a two-legged final success over Peterhead.

At the semi-final stage five years back it was 2-2 in the first leg at Annan, the visitors on the night fighting back from a two goal deficit.

Then in a thrilling encounter at Station Park it was the home side who ran out 4-2 winners to clinch a 6-4 aggregate success.

Fast forward to 2021/2 season and though it will count for nothing come 7.45p.m. on Tuesday evening, Gary Irvine’s side have certainly had the upper hand over the Galabank outfit throughout the course of the campaign.

Back on the opening day of the league season, the ‘Loons’ triumphed 2-0 in Dumfriesshire, the score line the same when the sides met at Station Park in mid October.

Then in January back at Annan, a hard fought 2-2 draw was the outcome, before Forfar’s amazing five goal salvo in the first period just over two weeks back at Station Park set up a 5-1 win for the Station Park men.

Ross Meechan and his colleagues went on to secure comfortable if intense draws with Kelty and Stenhousemuir to pip Annan who lost 2-1 to both Edinburgh City and Kelty over the same period by one point to clinch the runners-up spot at the conclusion of the 36 game cinch league2 season.

Gary Irvine is delighted to be going into the play-off fixtures with a reasonably clean bill of health, Steven Anderson returning to the bench on Saturday past following the horrific shoulder injury he incurred at Galabank at the turn of the year.

‘Loons’ Player of the Year Andy Munro is still not one hundred per cent fit, though the big defender was working hard to convince all on Saturday tha this season is not over yet, while Jamie Ness remains sidelined.

Stefan McCluskey scorer of a first half hat-trick against Peter Murphy’s side in mid April returns to the Forfar squad for Tuesday’s fixture having served his one match suspension on Saturday past.

Both teams start out on Tuesday evening as the say with a ‘clean slate’ but it is certain to be a tense and at times no doubt nervy ninety minutes.

It is unlikely that the game will be won and lost in the first leg, but all concerned will be keen to put down a ‘marker’ in advance of the second stage of the contest scheduled for Saturday afternoon at Station Park.

Match referee Lloyd Wilson will be the man in the middle at a ‘Loons’ fixture for the first time this season.

Hopefully despite the midweek slot and the lengthy journey involved at relatively short notice a few Forfar fans will be present on the night.

Admission charges at Annan are £14 for adults, £8 concessions.

Annan are promoting a Pay Per View service for supporters unable to make Galabank on the night, full details of how to subscribe can be found on the Annan Athletic website.

The other midweek SPFL Play-Off first leg fixtures on Tuesday evening are;-

Premiership – Partick Thistle v Inverness Caledonian Thistle

Championship – Montrose v Airdrie

League One – Edinburgh City v Dumbarton

The quintet of fixtures is then completed on Wednesday evening when Queens Park entertain Dunfermline Athletic in the second of the Championship matches.