Montrose 0 Forfar Athletic 0

SPFL League 1

Saturday 2 January 2021

Links Park, Montrose 

“Progress.” That was the overriding message and encouraging verdict from Forfar boss Stuart Malcolm at the end of an entertaining encounter with Montrose at Links Park, one that belied the goalless scoreline. Yes, Malcolm’s men remain bottom of League One, but this much-improved performance surely augurs well for the rest of the campaign. Theirs was a well-deserved point against a side sitting second-top before the match.

  “Today, there was a lot to be pleased about,” said Malcolm. “I thought we were excellent. While Montrose might have shaded things in the first half, I felt like we could have won the game in the second 45 minutes. We created numerous chances. And, as we have done a lot recently, we defended really well. Marc (McCallum) has made a couple of great saves at the beginning and the end of the game. But I could say the same of their keeper. So, although they also had opportunities to score, I’m disappointed we didn’t win. Probably more disappointed than (Montrose boss) Stewart Petrie will be.”

  Indeed, an increased presence and threat in attack was a feature of Forfar’s play. Coupled with another stout defensive display from the likes of Gary Irvine and Ross Meechan - both playing out of position in the middle of the back-four - that was always going to make the Loons difficult to beat. Nothing is ever perfect though. 

  “In the second half of the first half I did feel our midfield pair dropped off a bit too much,” continued Malcolm. “We sat back a little too deep, which gave them an opportunity to dictate play a bit more than I would have liked. But we addressed that at half-time. And from then on we were the better team.

  “Our thinking going in was winning the game. That never changes. But to come here and take on a form team the way we did is pleasing. We certainly didn’t look out of place out there. But we still need a little help in the centre of defence, even if Ross and Gary’s record together is really good. And young Sam (Fisher) played at right-back today. We only discovered late on that he would be available. So that was a wee boost.”

  There was a glimpse too, of long-term injury victim Steven Doris. The veteran forward didn’t make it onto the pitch, but his presence on the bench after a week of illness augurs well for the near future.

  “I considered bringing Steven in late on, but he has missed training and so is a little bit short of where we would like to see him,” said Malcolm. “He was there if we desperately needed him, but as it turned out we didn’t. We’re not short of bodies. We had a full bench today. But we are short of bodies in certain areas of the park. The substitution we made today was only because Archie (Thomas) picked up a knock. But things were going well. We had a chance to win the game. So we left things alone after that. All in all, we’re happy with a point. It would have been nice to nick all three. But the game could have gone either way.”

   Looking ahead, Malcolm sees “the glamour” of Saturday’s Scottish Cup clash with Linlithgow Rose at Station Park as a welcome break from league business.

  “That is definitely something to look forward to,” he said. “I always loved playing in the cup. And we have a tough encounter in prospect. Their manager, Brown Ferguson, is a close friend of mine so I know they will be well set-up. It will be a difficult game. And we’ll have to approach it the same way we did today to get through. 

  “The cup has the potential to generate money for the club in difficult times. That’s important. But the league remains our bread-and-butter. Today was a move in the right direction and there is much more to come. We lacked only a bit of confidence out there today. Overall, we were excellent. I got everything I asked for from the boys. It was a positive day.”

  Good point. For the second time in one afternoon.