Saturday 19 February 2022
Station Park, Forfar
SPFL cinch League 2
In a business forever defined by results, this was a good day for Forfar Athletic. With their long-time position in second-place under threat from Annan Athletic, the Loons responded with a fine all-round display at Station Park. Inflicting only a third defeat of the season on top-of-the-table Kelty Hearts, Forfar closed the gap at the top to six points, albeit the leaders also have two games in hand.
The only goal of the game came in the 73rd minute, when striker Matt Aitken got himself on the end of what was the best move of a hotly-contested and tightly-fought game to slot home the winner from close range. It was no more than the home team deserved for a second-half performance that gave no hint of the gap between the teams at the top of the table.
“It was a great win,” confirmed first-team coach, Gary Harkins, who stood in for manager Gary Irvine, who has been unwell. “The boys were brilliant today. And it was extra difficult, of course, with the manager not being here. So this victory is for him. All in all, it has been a good weekend for us.
“The boys showed a bit of belief today,” continued Harkins. “They pressed. They won the ball back when we lost it. They played higher up the pitch than we had in the previous games. We made it difficult for them all over the field. Last time we played them they controlled most of the game. We didn’t enjoy that. So we made sure there was no repeat today.”
To be fair, however, this latest victory - Forfar’s thirteenth in 25 league games - still bore the hallmark of Irvine’s influence, a fact Harkins was quick to acknowledge.
“Gary (Irvine) has still been pulling the strings behind the scenes,” he said. “He’s still telling me what to do, only on the phone rather than in person. We have a great set of boys here. So my weeks have not been too much different, other than taking the lead on match days. Plus, as I’m taking to Gary all the time, the message is always the same.
“The plan today was for us to control the game as much as possible,” Harkins went on. “We’re a really good side. All I really did was ask them to go out there and prove it. And they did. We’ve played Kelty three times this season now and all three have been tight games. This one was no different, other than we did enough to beat them. We deserved it, I thought. Especially in the second half, we played some good football. We defended exceptionally well and achieved everything we set out to do in training really. That was the difference.”
Still, as Harkins was at pains to point out, the key for the rest of the season is to maintain the high standards shown against the league leaders.
“Looking ahead to next week, that is the level of performance we need bring week-in and week-out,” he said. “There is no reason why we shouldn’t. Kelty are obviously a really good side. They are top of the league for a reason. So of course we should take confidence from beating them. But there’s another game next week and that is what we have to concentrate on now. The squad believe in themselves. And the management believes in them. That’s been the way of things all season. We’ll take that thought to Stenhousemuir next Saturday, when hopefully Gary will be back with us.”
There was, however, one last bit of praise/thanks from Harkins. After the heavy snowfall on the eve of the match, getting the Station Park pitch playable was only possible through the efforts of Groundsman Martin Grat and some hardy volunteers who showed up - shovels in hands - hours before kick-off.
“I know the boys are appreciative of the efforts Tino (Martin) and the supporters made to get the game on today,” said Harkins. “It was obvious from the piles of snow around the perimeter that a lot of work went into getting the pitch ready. They all did a great job. And we’re thankful they did. Because we’re leaving with three important points.”
Forfar Athletic
1 McCallum
2 Meechan (c)
19 Munro ? Fisher 83'
6 Whyte
26 Brindley ? Strachan 38'
7 Thomson ? G. Anderson 83'
10 Slater ? 58'
12 Hutton
24 Crossan
9 Aitken ⚽️ 73' ? Shepherd 87'
17 McCluskey ? 58'
Substitutes
3 Strachan
11 G. Anderson
15 Hussain
18 Shepherd
20 Harkins
21 Sanderson (GK)
22 Moore
25 Fisher
Kelty Hearts
1 Jamieson
15 Finlayson
5 Hooper
25 O'Ware
23 Ngwenya
14 Philp ? Reilly 66' ? 81'
12 Tidser
10 Barjonas
11 Higginbotham ? Biabi 75'
9 Austin
22 Agyeman ? Cardle 75'
Substitutes
2 Black
3 Peggie
7 Cardle
8 Reilly
16 McNab
20 Donaldson
21 Biabi
Referee: Alan Newlands
Attendance: 670
