‘Loons’ set for opening Pre-Season fixture

Who would ever have thought that Forfar Athletic would be preparing to stage their first pre-season friendly in mid-September, but that is the case with East Region Junior outfit Carnoustie Panmure due to visit Station Park on Saturday first.

Sadly it will be a very different season for all concerned with matches at the outset being staged strictly behind closed doors and we ask all supporters to respect this situation.

How long this will continue to be the case is a matter for some conjecture in these troubled times.

Clubs from the Championship down have decided on different courses of action in regard to publicising and the profiling of pre-season games.

The Forfar Athletic Directors respect these decisions but feel as they have done throughout this dreadful pandemic that their loyal supporters from near and far should be kept up to date as far as possible with club activities and the playing side of the club is as always the major part of the overall landscape.

Accordingly certainly at our three home pre-season games, score flashes and updates will be available on the club’s social media platforms, a full match report will appear on our website and Facebook page while highlights of the game and after match interviews courtesy of Josh Grimes will appear as soon as is humanly possible on FAFCTV.

To those officials and media representatives present at these games, it will be a different Station Park that greets them with a distinctly eerie atmosphere.

To meet all the COVID 19 and social distancing protocols that are required the whole match day layout behind the scenes will be revamped with for example the home team utilising both home and away dressing rooms as well as the Boardroom.

The away team’s temporary accommodation will be within the four hospitality lounges with other areas pressed into action for the coaching staff, match officials etc.

Looking ahead to Saturday’s fixture Stuart Malcolm and his players following eight training sessions are simply keen to get into match action.

There are a couple of the squad carrying niggling injuries, but that apart the remaining members of the first-team pool along with two or three trialists are likely to get vital game time.

The match on Saturday has a 2 p.m. kick-off.