Annan Athletic 2 Forfar Athletic 2

Annan Athletic 2 Forfar Athletic 2
Saturday 15 January 2022
SPFL cinch League 2
Galabank, Annan

In the end, it was a draw. And in the end, Forfar boss Gary Irvine was happy enough with a result that kept the Loons two points ahead of Annan and still holding onto second place in cinch League 2. Perhaps the biggest positive though was the quality of the two first-half goals - scored by Andy Munro and Craig Slater - that eventually gave the visitors to the compact Galabank stadium parity at 2-2.

  “Both goals came from tremendous finishes,” said Irvine at the close of play. “Two great goals really. We showed good character too, after being a goal down early. We reacted well, having started the better team. But they scored from something we had highlighted before the match. We knew their winger Chris Johnston would be dangerous in wide areas, especially down that right side. So I had hoped to nullify that threat and stop him from making crosses like the one they scored from. The big lad (Tommy) Goss was always going to be a handful too. He is a head taller than anyone else on the pitch. 

  “So that was disappointing. I wanted the players to make a quick positive start. Which we did. But the goal was a sucker punch. Still, as I said, we showed good character and kept our belief, working on the instructions we gave out before the game. Our strikers caused some trouble up-top and showed great energy. I was delighted when we equalised from a set-piece, big Andy finishing it off in some style.”

  Indeed, following Munro’s memorable shot into the top left-hand corner of goalkeeper Greg Fleming’s net, Forfar commanded much of the opening 45-minutes and deservedly went in 2-1 ahead at the break.

  “We kicked on after that, dominating the ball,” confirmed Irvine. “The midfield played well in possession - Slater and Gary Harkins - and the strikers always looked like causing trouble. They kept that pressure going too. There were a few dangerous deliveries into their box. And Craig scored a lovely goal, one that showed how good he is technically. A great goal.”

  As is so often the case, things were a little different when the teams reappeared for the second half, however. 

  “We knew there would be a reaction from Annan after the break,” continued Irvine. “They came out and went even more direct than before. But we stood up to it and weathered the storm. It was no surprise to hear that their goalkeeper was the man of the match. He made a number of great saves. One from Matty Aitken in the first half when he tipped the ball over the bar. It was headed into the top corner. I’m not sure how he got to that one. 

  “Then after half-time, we were so close to going 3-1 up through PJ Crossan. He cut inside and shot. The ball looked like it might go in anyway, but it took a deflection and still the keeper got a touch on it. That was a great save. Then Gary (Harkins) missed one when I would have bet my house on him scoring. To be fair to him, the ball bobbled up and it was a hard one to control and keep down. But it was a great chance.”

  Still, by the end of what was an entertaining end-to-end encounter, Irvine was only mildly disappointed not to come away with the three points.

  “We’ve come away with a point against a team that is playing with real confidence at the minute,” he said. “They are in good form. Our performance was really good too. And we’ve held on to second place in the league. Psychologically, that is good. It’s a normal reaction to come off and look at results elsewhere. And it was disappointing to see the teams around us dropping points on a day when we did too. But this is a tough place to come, especially when the opposition are on an unbeaten run. So a point is okay.”

  As ever though, nothing is ever perfect and the dislocated shoulder suffered by centre-back Steven Anderson was clearly the day’s biggest disappointment. 

  “Steven is a whole-hearted defender and he put his body on the line to try and shield the ball out of play,” explained Irvine. “But he fell awkwardly and went straight to the hospital for x-rays. Fingers crossed it isn’t too bad. But it doesn’t sound good. When you see a player like him needing gas and air to deal with the pain you know it’s a bad one. 

  “It is some consolation that Darren Whyte was there to slot straight in. I’ve said all season we are well covered defensively - which is one reason Michael Travis has gone elsewhere. And that showed today. I’ve been delighted by the progress Darren has made. He still needs minutes on the pitch but we have a friendly on Thursday. Plus, we also have Sam Fisher and Yusuf Hussain and myself as cover in central areas.”

  Two full weeks will pass before the Loons play their next competitive fixture at home to Edinburgh City on the 29th of January. Not ideal, but the opportunity to give Whyte 90 minutes on the pitch in a less frenetic environment is one Irvine welcomes. 

  “I’d always like to keep the fixtures and momentum going,” he admitted. “We came back from the two defeats over the Christmas period with a win last week and now a good point here. There is momentum building again into the third quarter of the season. But next week isn’t all bad. We can give Darren some playing time, which is a real benefit to the squad. All in all, today has had more positives than negatives. Annan is not an easy place to come. And they deserved credit for how they have been playing, to the point where they are putting us under pressure in the table.”

Annan Athletic
1 G Fleming
2 Steele
5 Douglas
6 Clark
3 Lowdon
8 Hunter ? Docherty 45'
4 Moxon
7 Wallace
10 Goss ⚽️ 4' ? Anderson 88'
9 Smith ⚽️ 57' ? 78'
11 Johnston

Substitutes
12 Adamson
14 K Fleming
15 Purdue
16 McCartney
17 Swinglehurst
18 Docherty
19 Anderson
20 Barnes

Forfar Athletic 
1 McCallum
2 Meechan ? 62'
19 Munro ⚽️ 29'
4 S Anderson ? Whyte 56'
3 Strachan
17 McCluskey
10 Slater ⚽️ 44'
20 Harkins ? Moore 88'
24 Crossan ? G Anderson 81'
9 Aitken ? Thomas 81'
18 Shepherd

Substitutes
6 Whyte
11G Anderson
14 Thomas
15 Hussain
21 Sanderson
22 Moore
23 Irvine
25 Fisher

Referee: Steven Kirkland

Attendance: 341