Stirling Albion 1 Forfar Athletic 1

Forthbank Stadium, Stirling 

Tuesday 15 February 2022

SPFL cinch League 2

Not for the first time this season,  it could have been better. For the sixth time in what is now seven league draws this season, Forfar scored first but ended up with one-point rather than three. So it was perhaps not too surprising to hear first-team coach Gary Harkins expressing some disappointment at the end of a hard-fought 1-1 draw with Stirling Albion at a muddy Forthbank Stadium.

  “It’s been the case a few times this season,” confirmed Harkins, who was standing in for under-the-weather team manager Gary Irvine. “We go a goal up but lose the lead. Yes, the pitch wasn’t great, but it was the same for both teams. So that’s not really an excuse. If we had played the for 90 minutes the way we played for the first 25, we’d have won the game, no problem.”

  Indeed, that was a fair assessment. As well as Craig Slater’s beautifully-placed free-kick that flew into the top-right corner of the Stirling net, Matty Aitken had hit the post with a header at the end of what was surely Forfar’s best move of the night. All before the Loons lost their way a little in the second-half of the first-half, the home side dominating possession and doing most of the attacking in the lead-up to the half-time break.

  “This is a tough place to go,” reiterated Harkins. “But after being 1-0 up we have to be disappointed at the result. We dropped off the game in the first-half and that was how we ended up conceding their goal. That’s something we obviously need to work on. What it is not, however, is an attitude problem. I can’t fault a single player in our dressing room on that score. They are a great bunch of boys, a great dressing room and a great team. But what we saw tonight is something that will improve with experience. They’ll learn how to win games like this."

  The news wasn’t all bad, of course. Centre-backs Andy Munro and Darren Whyte both emerged with credit from what was a tough-fought 90-minutes. Slater’s goal was exceptional. And the first-half save by keeper Marc McCallum that kept the visitors in front will live long in the memory. 

  ‘It’s a squad game and we have a really good squad,” said Harkins, returning to his earlier theme. “We had a few lads missing tonight, but we were still able to put in the kind of performance we showed in the early stages here. That was pleasing.”

  Next up for the Loons, of course, is a top-of-the-table clash with long-time division leaders Kelty Hearts at Station Park this Saturday. It is a game Harkins for one is looking forward to. 

  “We’ll prepare as we do for every game,” he said. “They’re obviously a good side and top of the league for a reason. But I’ve got faith in our boys. We’ll be out there trying to win, just as we have done in every game this season. We never think any team coming to our ground is going to be too tough for us. As I said, if we can perform to the level we did in the first 25 minutes tonight, we’ll be competitive.” 

Stirling Albion

1 Currie

2 Moore

5 McGregor ? 77'

4 Banner

3 Hancock

11 Paterson ? Flanagan  72'

6 Grant ? Laird 85'

8  Leitch ? 83'

23 Mackin

9 Carrick ⚽️ 65'

Substitutes

12  McNiff

15 Creaney

16 Flanagan

17 Law

19 Laird

Forfar Athletic 

1 McCallum

25 Fisher

19 Munro ? 88'

6 Whyte

26 Brindley

7 Thomson ? G Anderson 71'

10 Slater ⚽️ 13'

12 Hutton ? 83' ? Harkins 85'

17 McCluskey

9 Aitken ? Shepherd 74'

22 Moore

Substitutes

3 Strachan

11 G Anderson

15 Hussain

18 Shepherd

20 Harkins

21 Sanderson

Referee: Scott Lambie

Attendance: 449