Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic v Forfar Athletic – match preview

As has been well documented since the fixture list was issued in mid-June, the ‘Loons’ head to New Dundas Park in Bonnyrigg on Saturday to provide the opposition in what is the home club’s first ever SPFL league fixture.

Gary Irvine and his players will however be putting the occasion firmly to one side. They will be concentrating on making a similar start to last season in their own league campaign with they returned from Annan with a three-point haul.

Forfar have still to record an on-field victory this season following three pre-season friendly defeats and four group fixtures in the Premier Sports Cup which yielded one draw and three defeats, those reversals all to be fair against full-time Championship outfits.

There were quite a few glimmers of hope in the league cup matches however notably at home to Stranraer and certainly in the second half against Dundee at Dens Park last weekend which suggest that the squad despite quite a few injury problems were beginning to gel and as ever we enter the lengthy cinch league2 campaign with a fair degree of optimism.

On the injury front for a change, it is good news.

All the squad trained at Station Park on Thursday evening with the treatment room empty, a real bonus to the Forfar management team.

Thankfully Darren Whyte’s scan revealed only bruising to the knee when worse was feared and new signings James Keatings and Nathan Flanagan yet to feature in a competitive game are working feverishly to attain full fitness.

All will be in the squad which heads for Midlothian on Saturday.

Gary has also been hard at work over the last week in an attempt to add another new face to his pool but any move has been put on the ‘back burner' for the present.

Bonnyrigg our opponents on the opening day card have a familiar face in their dugout, Manager Robbie Horn having been a very popular central defender with the ‘Loons’ for a five season spell from 1999 onwards.

The Rose attained their SPFL status after finishing a staggering 16 points ahead of nearest ‘real’ challengers East Kilbride in the Lowland League last term prior to defeating Fraserburgh and Cowdenbeath in the end-of-season play-offs.

They did so with a very experienced squad many with SPFL pedigree and Robbie to date has only added Kevin Smith from East Fife, Josh Grigor from Stenhousemuir and Connor Doan from Stirling University to the ranks.

In their Premier Sports group, they recorded a fine 2-1 away win at Clyde, drew with Falkirk, losing out to Hibernian and Falkirk.

A reminder to ‘Loons’ fans heading to the game that they should utilise entrance ‘C’ to access the stadium.

Admission charges for the match which has the normal 3 p.m. kick-off are £12 for adults, and £7 for concessions with under 12’s being admitted free if accompanied by a paying adult.

Experienced official Alan Newlands is the man in charge of proceedings.

Saturday’s other cinch league 2 fixtures are;- Dumbarton v Stirling Albion, Elgin City v East Fife, Stenhousemuir v Albion Rovers, Stranraer v Annan Athletic