Peterhead 1 Forfar Athletic 2

SPFL League 1

Saturday 1 May 2021

Balmoor Stadium, Peterhead 

No more ifs. No more buts. No more clutching at arithmetical straws. For Forfar Athletic, the 20-21 season is over, at least in a competitive sense. Despite the Loons recording a gutsy 2-1 victory at Peterhead - what is a second consecutive league win for the first time since August 2019 - Clyde’s 2-0 win at home to Dumbarton condemned interim player-coach Gary Irvine’s men to relegation and a return to the bottom tier of Scottish football for the first time since 2017.

  That’s the bad news. The good news is that, on the evidence of the last two games and a promising display against Dundee United in the Scottish Cup, the future of Forfar is far from gloomy. While clearly disappointed with the news from the Clyde match, Irvine was making some motive noises in the wake of a match the visitors deserved to win.

  “I felt like today we carried on with the way we played on Thursday evening against Clyde,” he said Irvine. “That was the message to the players. Take the positives from that victory and keep building on that. We played some good stuff today. I felt like we were the dominant side, especially in the first-half. We were organised and comfortable in possession. We created a few chances and were a threat up front. Our work rate was excellent too.

  “I was pleased with some of our individual performances. Scott Shepherd up top did so much running. He kept two, big and powerful centre-backs fully occupied. And he hit the post with a great shot. But today was a team effort. Which has been the case recently because the fixture-list has been so condensed.”

  Amidst those undeniable truths, it must be acknowledged that both Forfar goals were the result of mistakes by the opposition. The first was an eccentric own-goal by Peterhead’s Daniel Strachan; the second - a reward for Shepherd’s persistence - stemmed from a calamitous error by the home team’s goalkeeper.  

  “Our two goals were evidence of what can happen when you work hard as a team,” insisted Irvine. “Putting pressure on opponents can lead to them making mistakes. Then you get your rewards. Which is how we carried on our momentum from Thursday. I could feel a greater and growing confidence out there. I’m leading them at the minute and I could sense that. They have a belief and they are building on that with every game. Winning breeds winning. 

  “Unfortunately, the opposite has been the case for too much of this season. We got into a bad habit of losing games. And confidence. And now we’ve run out of time. That’s the feeling I’ve got. I’ve got a great reaction from my teammates. I’m thankful for that. But it’s come a little too late.”

  Indeed, there is no escaping the bigger picture and Irvine was clearly in no mood to do so.

  “It’s been a disappointing season,” he acknowledged. “I’ve been part of that as a player. So I am as responsible as any other member of the squad. I’m gutted for the fans and the club. I’ve been here for three seasons now and the club means a lot to me. Today is a hard one to take. But today’s performance has to be seen as very much a positive. Change has been in the air for at least the last couple of weeks.”

  Looking forward, while nothing is yet certain, Irvine’s first venture into what might be termed “quasi-management” has clearly whetted his appetite for the role.  

  “I’d love to involved next season,” he said. "As I’ve been saying, the role I have now came quick for me. I’ve been put in a position where we’ve been playing games very two or three days. But I wanted to help the club as best I could. I feel like we have started to make a difference, but, as I said, we’ve unfortunately run out of time. Winning the last two games is nice, but I can’t get away from the negative feeling of today.

  “I’ve enjoyed it. My ambition has always been to get into coaching and management. That’s no secret and a journey I started on two years ago. Plus, I’m getting to the later stages of my playing career. So if the club wants to speak to me, then I’ll be happy to do so.”