Elgin City v Forfar Athletic – match preview

The ‘Loons’ are due to get back into competitive action on Saturday when they head north to face Elgin City at Boroughbriggs as the second quarter of the cinch league2 campaign gets underway.

It would appear from reports that the weather conditions in Morayshire have not been as bad as suffered by the residents of Angus over the past 24 hours and both clubs are hopeful that the game will go ahead.

For Forfar Athletic it will be their first outing in two weeks following the break from league fixtures last weekend, but in fact for the home side it will be their first action of the calendar month, their scheduled home game against Stenhousemuir two weeks back falling foul of a waterlogged playing surface.

In fact both sides will go in to tomorrow’s encounter having lost their last league game to the same opponent in current league leaders Peterhead.

The Athies of course lost out to the ‘Blue Toon’ outfit at Station Park two weeks back, the final score line 3-1 in the visitors favour, while City were on the end of a 6-0 reverse at Balmoor the previous weekend.

Ray McKinnon for the first time this season is delighted that he has a fully fit squad of players to choose from for the fixture against Barry Smith’s outfit.

His final line-up will indeed be an interesting one , especially up front where he will have a fair degree of choice including the availability of Rory MacLeod on his return from a couple of substitute appearances for the Scotland Under 19 side.

The only hiccup over the past week, the fact that the normally important Thursday night training session at Station Park was quite rightly cancelled with the county town at the epicentre of the red weather warning for the area.

Ray and his management team know that Elgin despite currently occupying the bottom spot in the table on five points will provide stern opposition.

This has already been proved on a couple of occasions this term in goalless draws in both the league and SPFL Trophy, the latter won by City with the now departed former ‘Loons’ keeper Daniel Hoban the home hero in a shoot-out success.

All involved will hope however that the return journey down the A96 on Saturday evening will be executed with a victory, which would also extend Forfar’s unbeaten away run to four matches.

A three point haul would also see the management, players, not to mention the supporters in good heart for a return trip north the following week to Huntly and Scottish Gas Scottish Cup second round action.

Andy Gamble is Saturday’s match official, the second time this season that he will have been in charge of an Athies fixture.

Admission prices at Elgin are as follows;-

Stand – Adults £16, Concessions £11.
Ground – Adults £14, concessions £9

Stand admission is by ticket purchased in advance only, see full details on Elgin City website.

Ground admission by either ticket in advance or cash payment at turnstile on day.

Under 16’s admitted free of charge to ground if accompanied by a paying adult.

Saturday’s other cinch league2 fixtures;- Bonnyrigg Rose v Clyde, East Fife v Stranraer, Stenhousemuir v Peterhead, The Spartans v Dumbarton