Annan Athletic 0 Forfar Athletic 2

cinch League 2

Saturday 31 July 2021

Galabank, Annan

To be sure, it would be an exaggeration to say he looked ready to dance in the streets of Annan. But there was definitely a well-earned air of satisfaction about Gary Irvine in the immediate aftermath of Forfar’s 2-0 win at the Galabank Stadium. And why not? On the back of first-half goals from Stefan McCluskey and Scott Shepherd, this was both the ideal start to the Loon’s league campaign and, despite a more hard-fought second 45-minutes, ultimately a job well done.

  “There was a lot to be pleased about,” confirmed Irvine. “Especially in the first-half. We knew we were coming down here to a tough fixture. Annan are a really big, physical side and very direct but we stood up to that. There were a lot of battles out there but once we got to grips with the game we scored two good goals. There is still loads to work on. We came out in the second-half and Annan put us under a lot of pressure. Again though, I was pleased by how we stood up to that. As a team, we were very good defensively today. Being more defence-minded as a player, I’m very pleased with a clean sheet. We’ve been working hard with the defenders in training and they did their jobs well around the box and in open play today. We were hard to break down.”

  Indeed, there was a noticeable togetherness - epitomised by the always-vocal Andy Munro - about the Forfar squad throughout an often bruising encounter with an Annan squad boasting a number of very large physical specimens. Even with a few new faces still bedding-in, the team spirit on display augurs well for the future.

  “It was nice to see a continuation of what we’ve seen in the League Cup games,” agreed Irvine. “Everybody has been working together. They’ve all been working hard on a style of play in training and again we saw that today. Especially with the first goal. We’ve got some good, direct players who can cause problems for teams. They are clever players with pace and energy. I put it to the full group after the game that everyone played a part. Both the starting eleven and the guys who came off the bench. I was delighted too, for Scott Shepherd. He came on and scored with his first touch. He took his chance and made an impact.”

  The news wasn’t all good, of course. Only 15 minutes after opening the scoring, McCluskey went down injured and was immediately substituted, a fact Shepherd took immediate advantage of. Still, it was the last thing Irvine wanted to see, only seven days after a similar fate befell Michael Travis. Only weeks after making his comeback from knee surgery, the defender is back on an injured list that also includes Steven Anderson and Darren Whyte.

  “The players who have been out with long-term injury are working hard,” said Irvine. “They’re getting close to playing, especially Steven. He’s a really experienced head. I think I’ll be able to add him to squads very soon. He’s upping his training. And yes, it was a sore one to lose Michael last week, especially a he has worked so hard to get himself fit over the summer. The worry was that this latest injury might be long-term again. But he’s been assessed by the physio this week and it’s not as bad as we first feared. Hopefully, he’ll be out for only a few weeks.”

  And McCluskey? 

  “It’s always worrying to see a player go down - as Stefan did - with no one near him,” continued Irvine. “There was no contact. So it’s hard to put a diagnosis or time-scale on him right now. Fingers crossed it isn’t as bad as we first thought. I took him off straight away as a precaution. Plus, we had options on the bench.”

  One of those, of course, is Irvine himself. But the boss is content to maintain a low profile as far as playing is concerned.

  “I’m always there,” he said with a smile. “I’m an option to cover a few positions, as is (assistant) Gary Harkins. But I’m working hard with this group to make sure they are doing the job. I’ll be happy if they keep me off the pitch. My message in the dressing after the game was ‘job well done.’ It’s three points. But it’s on to the next fixture now.”