The final hurdles are in sight!

Following last night’s match between Elgin City and Stenhousemuir which did beat the Scottish spring weather and the Dumbarton v Stirling Albion fixture which did not for a fourth time, we now enter undoubtedly the final and no doubt frantic stage of the cinch league2 campaign.

In that Boroughbriggs fixture a goal from former Athies midfielder Ross Forbes in the dying embers of the contest saw the ‘Warriors’ secure a 1-1 draw,  Elgin’s point seeing them vacate the league’s tenth position.

All involved at Station Park back in early November when Ray McKinnon was appointed had only one ambition at the time to avoid the dreaded 42^nd spot in the SPFL pyramid or call it what you like.

That ambition has now been well and truly achieved to such a degree that we now have no option than to look upwards and hopefully onwards to the end of season play-offs, a scenario that most would have ‘bitten your hand off’ for some five/six months back.

Looking ahead to the next four weekends of action which are sure to be nail biting in the extreme, it would appear to most that Stirling Albion especially taking their current form into account are ‘home and hosed’ in the top spot.

That leaves five clubs fighting for the three play-off spots.

Dumbarton must still be favourites for one of these positions in the end of season ‘lottery’ but who knows?

Their form in recent times as can be seen from the statistics below has been sketchy to say the least.

To keep all Forfar fans in the picture as best we can as we move as they say into the ‘business end’ of the season, we have listed below the current positions of the five clubs concerned in the battle for a top four position, along with their current form record over their last six league outings as well as their remaining fixtures.

DUMBARTON – 2^nd place – 54 points from 31 games played – current form 4points from six games

Remaining fixtures – Bonnyrigg Rose (a) Stirling Albion (h) East Fife (h) Elgin City (a) Stranraer (h)

ANNAN ATHLETIC – 3rd place – 47 points from 32 games played – current form 10 points from six games 

Remaining fixtures – Albion Rovers (h) Stirling Albion (a) Bonnyrigg Rose (h) Stenhousemuir (a)

FORFAR ATHLETIC – 4^th place – 45 points from 32 games played – current form 11 points from six games 

Remaining fixtures – Elgin City (a) Bonnyrigg Rose (h) Stirling Albion (a) East Fife (h)

STENHOUSEMUIR – 5^TH place – 44 points from 32 games played – current form 9 points from six games

Remaining fixtures – Stirling Albion (h) Albion Rovers (a) Stranraer (a) Annan Athletic (h)

EAST FIFE – 6^TH place – 44 points from 32 games played – current form 11 points from 6 games

Remaining fixtures – Stranraer (h) Dumbarton (a) Albion Rovers (h) Forfar Athletic (a)