Forfar Athletic v Elgin City
Venue – Station Park – ko 3p.m.
Monday 2nd January
cinch league 2 – match no 18
Stand admission charges are;-
Adults £15
65 & over £9
Under 17’s £5
Terracing admission charges are;-
Adults £14
65 & over £8
Under 17’s £5
Payment by cash at turnstile
Forfar Athletic Season Tickets are of course valid for this fixture
1984 Lounge
The 1984 Lounge at the ground will be open to supporters from 12.30p.m. to 2.50p.m. and again on the final whistle till approx 8p.m.
(Cash sales only on Monday – no credit card facility available, apologies for any inconvenience)
The Refreshment Kiosk will be open as usual at Monday’s fixture while the Club Shop situated at the rear of the East Terracing will be open prior to kick-off and at half-time.
50/50 tickets will be on sale from vendors in the ground and within the 1984 Lounge.
PREVIEW
Forfar Athletic Manager Ray McKinnon and his players cannot wait for kick-off time on Monday afternoon to arrive following a 23 day break from competitive action due to the weather and the fragmented fixture list of late.
Elgin City a side whom the ‘Loons’ have accrued four points from in two clashes to date this season are the Station Park ‘first foots’ and the home side go into the fixture most certainly hoping to build on a four game unbeaten league run which stretches over a seven week period since the new man at the helm took control back in early November.
The Athies last league encounter saw them record a 2-1 victory over Stenhousemuir at Ochilview, Stefan McCluskey and Ben Armour the scorers back on December 10th.
In the interim the Station Park squad have been of course training on a regular basis right up to Hogmanay morning in actual fact, while a number of the squad including the returning James Keatings got vital game time in a friendly win over Lochee United three days before Christmas.
The manager has been delighted with the players attitude in those training session in varying degrees of wintry weather, but like his squad is keen to get back to attempting to continue the climb up the cinch league 2 table.
On the injury front a few players are nursing slight knocks and will be assessed at the last minute but the aforementioned James Keatings and Tomas Brindlay who was sidelined in the early part of December will both feature in the match day squad.
Sadly Darren Whyte is once again set for a lengthy period on the sidelines after picking up a first half hamstring injury against the ‘Warriors’
Elgin travel south under the stewardship of two men with strong Forfar connections in Gavin Price and Jim Weir, while their main striking threat Kane Hester now resides in the ‘toonie.’
They lost out 2-1 to Stirling Albion on the Friday eveningbefore Christmas at Boroughbriggs, a match in which astonishingly defender Brian Cameron made his 500thcompetitive appearance for the club, a remarkable achievement in this day and age.
Ross Draper signed from Cove in September despite interest from the ‘Loons’ was sent off in the Albion game and so will sit out Monday’s contest.
Elgin currently sit third in the league table on the 25 point mark and also have an excellent opportunity of reaching the last sixteen of the Scottish Cup, a home fourth round tie against Drumchapel on the horizon.
Back in mid August the sides shared the points in a 2-2 draw at Station Park, while a couple of months later the ‘Loons’ picked up all three points thanks to an early counter from Ben Armour up at Elgin.
Incidentally in the August clash Elgin had Brian Cameron red carded in the first half of the contest, goal scorer Ben Armour on the end of a similar fate in the Boroughbriggs tussle.
Home officials are hoping the lure of the traditional Holiday Monday fixture and the recent upturn in fortunes on the field might be rewarded with a larger than normal attendance.
One thing is for certain and that is the home support no matter the size also have an important role to play in backing the players from the first whistle as they attempt to make a winning start to 2023.
The referee on Monday Duncan Williams will be handling a ‘Loons fixture for the first time this season.
Match Sponsor – Ryan Todd Joinery Ltd.
Hospitality Guests – Garry Balfour & Friends, Alan Davie & Family, Audrey Lindsay & Friends, Mike Watt Construction Ltd.
The only other two games being played this weekend in the cinchleague2 are scheduled for Saturday afternoon;- Albion Rovers v Dumbarton, Stirling Albion v Stenhousemuir
