Forfar Athletic 5 Annan Athletic 1

Saturday 16 April 2022
SPFL cinch League 2
Station Park

Two weeks on from clinching a spot in the League Two play-offs, Forfar ticked off the next priorities on the side’s season-long agenda. And they did it in some style. First, with a glorious 5-1 victory over Annan Athletic - highlighted by a Stefan McCluskey hat-trick inside the first 26 minutes - the Loons clinched at least third place in the division. And second, their opponents in the opening round of the play-offs will be the same Annan side they dismantled so clinically with a sublime five-goal first-half display at Station Park. 

  The only question now is the order of play. One-point clear of Forfar with two games remaining, Annan remain in second place in the race for the runner-up spot that bequeaths a home fixture in the second of the play-off matches.

  Still, all of that is for the future. For the moment, Forfar boss Gary Irvine was justly pleased with a performance he labelled “the best” in his time as Loons manager. Even if he was a little irked at “losing” the second half to the only goal. 

  “There is a little niggle there for me,” he said with a smile. “I couldn’t help myself and was actually shouting at the players that I wanted to ‘win’ the second half when they scored with 11 minutes to go. But I’m nit-picking. The first half was unbelievable. I’m really proud of the players. Every message we spoke about in training; everything we wanted to bring to the game; and everything we worked on, the boys took onto the pitch. And they got their just rewards for doing so. I’m absolutely delighted.”

  Indeed, one-way traffic was the order of things during an opening 45-minutes during which Forfar looked like scoring almost every time up the pitch. As well as McCluskey’s three strikes, Matthew Aitken and Steven Warnock weighed in with counters of their own. It was high-quality stuff from the Loons.

  “We scored some really good goals,” confirmed Irvine. “The team looked really fluid moving forward and the boys took their chances when they came along. This might sound daft, but I stood very awkwardly last week when we lost 2-0 to Edinburgh City and declared how well we had played. Which we did. But we didn’t score the goals our play merited. Today, with the same approach, it was different. For large periods of the game, we had complete control of the ball and dominated possession. And, most importantly, we took our chances. 

  “So yes, while I am happy to say this was the best performance in my time in charge here, there have been others almost as good,” he continued. “On those occasions, we were perhaps not clinical enough. But today we were.”

  Amidst a side displaying no real weakness. Warnock and (man of the match) McCluskey were the stand-outs, a fact Irvine was quick to acknowledge.

  “They played with real energy,” he said. “They are clever players. And today they found the areas and spaces that hurt any team. They asked many questions of the Annan defence. Their quality and ability on the ball was brilliant. They linked so well with their teammates and took on opponents to create all kinds of chances.”

  The next question was obvious: how much confidence does a result like this give the team knowing they are going to be up against Annan again in less than three weeks?

  “Today was massive in that respect,” said Irvine. “We’re still pushing to be second, but so are they. So it was important for us to put down a marker. And the players did that. But there are a couple of tough games to go. We need to build on this result and display and keep progressing. When the playoffs come we will hopefully go into them with a winning mentality. It’s all about building confidence between now and then. I’m sure the boys will be feeling good about themselves after today and looking forward to taking on (league champions) Kelty next week.”

  On the injury front, Craig Slater was forced off during the second half, just a week after Andy Munro was carried off against Edinburgh. As ever, Irvine does not have his troubles to seek in that department. 

  “It was always the plan to take Craig off when we did,” revealed the Forfar boss. “It was unfortunate that he suffered an ‘impact’ injury. But it looks like a ‘dead leg’ which shouldn’t be too much of a problem. Still, it was nice to have the luxury of being so far ahead and so able to take him off. Equally, it was nice to give others some minutes and show the strength of the squad. I have great options off my bench. 

  “As for Andy Munro, he’s had a scan and it has been confirmed that he had ligament damage in his knee. It was a real worry when he went down. But he’s a big strong lad with strong legs, so we’re hopeful his rehab goes well and that he will be able to play a part in the coming games.” 

Forfar Athletic 

1 McCallum
2 Meechan ? 67'
25 Fisher
6 Whyte
26 Brindley
20 Harkins ? Huttonat 71'
16 Warnock ⚽️23' ? G Anderson 77'
10 Slater ? Thomson 63'
17 McCluskey ⚽️26'⚽️34'⚽️37'? Crossan 63'
22 Moore
9 Aitken ⚽️12' ? Shepherd 63'

Substitutes

3 Strachan
7 Thomson
11 G Anderson
12 Hutton
14 Thomas
15 Hussain
18 Shepherd
21 Sanderson (GK)
24 Crossan

Annan Athletic 

1 Fleming
5 Barnes
2 Steele ? Clark 35'
6 Swinglehurst ? 81'
3 Lowdon
11 Johnston? McCartney 65'
8 Fleming
7 Wallace ⚽️ 79'
4 Moxon ? 56' ?Garrity 65'
9 Smith? Docherty 64'
10 Goss? Anderson 74'

Substitutes

12 Adamson
14 Docherty
15 Garrity
16 Clark
17 Anderson
18 McCartney

Referee: Chris Fordyce

Attendance: 472