-1221Falkirk 1 (Anton Dowds, 15)
Forfar Athletic 1 (Jordan Allan (66 pen)
SPFL League 1
24 October 2020, Falkirk Stadium
Two games. Two draws. Two points. It all adds up to a not too shabby start to the league campaign for Forfar. In their second match of what will be a truncated season, the Loons emerged from a sometimes tempestuous but always competitive match at the Falkirk stadium clutching the equality with which they arrived 90 minutes earlier.
Which is not to say that this was a classic, backs-to-the-wall performance from the visitors. Far from it. Although Forfar fell behind relatively early to a neat goal from Falkirk forward Anton Dowds, there was no hint of the sort of collapse that precipitated a 6-0 defeat to the same opponents last season. The rest of the first-half, in fact, was evenly contested with near things at both ends, the closest a long-range drive from Florent Hoti that rebounded from the Falkirk bar.
“We had a plan coming into this match, right from the word go,” said Forfar boss, Stuart Malcom. “We know Falkirk are obviously a very strong side. So our aim was to ‘stretch’ the game as long as we possibly could in the first-half. That would give us the opportunity to play the ball more to feet in the second-half and take advantage of any space we had created. Our feeling was that, if we did that well, we could easily win the game. At half-time my message to the lads was to believe in themselves and believe in what we were doing. And they did.”
The first half of the second-half continued in similar vein, Forfar’s biggest scare coming when a thumping drive from defender Gary Miller crashed into Marc McCallum’s right-hand post. The game, however, took a dramatic turn in the 66th minute. In the immediate aftermath of what was, at best, a minor tussle for the ball, Forfar forward, Jordan Allan, was jogging out of the penalty area when he was on the receiving end of a 'dunt' on the back of the head (kindly described as “rash” by Malcolm) by Falkirk goalkeeper, Robbie Mutch. Spotted by referee Steven Kirkland, Mutch gave the man in charge little alternative but to administer a red card and point to the penalty spot.
After waiting patiently for substitute keeper, PJ Morisson, to take his place on the goal line, Allan made an efficient job of the spot kick, tucking the ball neatly inside the left-hand post. Thereafter, the game reverted to type. Both sides had chances, with Bobby Barr’s last-minute effort perhaps the best of the bunch. Through on goal, the winger’s half-blocked shot was eventually smothered by the Falkirk keeper.
“I thought the boys were absolutely magnificent,” was Malcom’s post-match verdict. “Yes, we’ve had to defend unbelievably well at times. We had some great blocks and our defensive work was exceptional You could see the work-rate the boys displayed. I’m unbelievably proud of the performance. Maybe the only disappointment was that we didn’t take our chance to win the game at the end.”
Amidst such a strong team performance, it is perhaps invidious to single-out individuals. But Malcolm was quick to praise Gary Irvine. Which was no surprise. The 35-year old was all over the park, constantly breaking-down Falkirk’s attacking moves.
“Gary was immense,” said Malcolm. “We know what he can do and that’s why he is here. He was all over the park, snapping into challenges. And he was composed in possession of the ball, as was Ross Meechan. As was young Sam (Fisher) next to him too. They were all colossal for us. Ross has really stepped up and shown himself to be a great leader.
“We obviously knew that would have a fair bit of the ball but we defended so well. There were a few last-ditch tackles but we were in the right places to make those tackles. In that respect, I was so pleased. It wasn’t the case that they were cutting us open. Or that they missed chance after chance. They had opportunities but it was nothing like that.”
It wasn’t all about the defenders though. The forwards also did their bit.
“Bobby Barr was another star today,” continued Malcolm. “He used all his experience and know-how out there. Jordan Allan was also absolutely sensational after he came on. He took the penalty - one he really had no right to get - beautifully. But he does have a knack of annoying opposition players. His endeavour, his hunger and his desire are always likely to do that. And that was shown right through the squad today, which is so important in a young side. We came here last season and got a right doing. So today shows how far we’ve come. If I get that level of commitment every week, we’re not going to be an easy team to play against this season.”
That much is already obvious.
