Albion Rovers 0 Forfar Athletic 2

Saturday 17 September 2022
Reigart Stadium, Coatbridge
SPFL cinch League 2

 “A complete performance,” was Forfar manager Gary Irvine’s succinct - and well justified - verdict on his team’s 2-0 victory over Albion Rovers at the Reigate Stadium. Second-half goals from Matty Aitken and Kyle Hutton (his first for the club) lifted a dominant Loons side off the bottom of League Two. With three home games in succession to look forward to, Irvine’s men are now only four points off second place in the table. 

  In truth, the final score was flattering only to the home players. Right from the first minute, when Forfar looked to have the ball over the Albion goal line before a defender appeared to stop the rebound with a hand, the visitors looked like the sharper and more eager team. This is not to say Irvine did not go back to the dressing room at half-time a little frustrated.

  “At that point, the only thing missing was a goal,” said the Forfar boss. “We should have been coming off maybe three or four goals up. That was how much we had Albion Rovers penned in and how many chances we created. But today anything I say has to be positive. Today was close to the standards I expect from them all the time. With the quality we have, we can play even better than what we saw out there. I’ll certainly keep demanding that.

  “I saw real togetherness out there, right from the first minute,” Irvine continued. “We had dig and desire, everyone scrapping and being good teammates. That’s a big message I like to pass on - be a good teammate. And I saw that today. Even when someone was looking a little isolated, another body appeared to help. We smothered the opposition with that kind of determination.”

  Although reluctant to single out any players, Irvine was quick to acknowledge the contributions made by the side’s recognised playmakers, Stefan McCluskey and skipper, Craig Slater. 

  “They are always big players for us,” said the manager. “They are important because they drive the team. They are top quality to the point where they don’t really come into my thoughts before games. They set their own standards. But it’s unfair for me to talk about any names. I’m having a hard time singling anyone out. For me, there were top performances right through the team. I’m happy Kyle Hutton got a goal. And he marshalled the central defence brilliantly. Thomas Brindley did so well in the build-up to Matty Aitken’s goal. He took the ball from one of their players on the edge of our own box, drove forward and played our striker in.”

  Also noticeable - this time by their absence - were the sorts of lapses in concentration and individual errors that saw the Loons lose recent matches. 

  “Those sorts of things have led to some tough conversations within the group,” revealed Irvine. “To be fair, everyone has chipped in. And the pleasing thing is any mistakes have been corrected in the next game. I saw that today. There was organisation and determination to get the win.”

  As ever, however, Irvine finished his post-match with an update on the various injuries that have plagued the squad in this still young season. This time, however, the news was generally good.  

  “Having Craig Thomson back today provided a boost,” said Irvine. “Our game being off last week actually helped us in a way. I’ve heard the frustrations of the fans, but we have been stretched and limited by the number of injuries we’ve had. Big players have been out for three, or four weeks sometimes. Craig is back now though. Darren Whyte was on the bench today. He isn’t quite ready for 90 minutes but today he got through the warm-up today without reaction. He’s one I’ll feedback in gradually. He’s a big player for us.

  “The one bit of bad news is that James Keatings is going to be out for a while, which I know will be hard for the fans to hear,” he continued. “We got him back, then within a week he damaged a ligament in his knee at training. But everyone else is close. Yousef Hussein is nearly there. Tarek Abed was on the bench today. And Nathan Flanagan, although he has broken down a couple of times with the same injury, isn’t far away. All of which will only strengthen the squad and enhance even more the standards we saw today. Competition for places is always good and allows me to freshen up the team when necessary. This was a good way to build on though and we take all of that into next week.”

Albion Rovers 

1 Smith
2 Fernie
15 McColl 🔄 Testa 74'
4 Sonkur
3 Malcolm 🟨 83'
11 Reilly
8 Leslie
6 Fleming 🟨 39' 🔄 Duncan 68'
7 Wilson
10 Paton 🔄 Dolan 74'
9 Roberts 🔄 Wright 68' 

Substitutes

13 Sandberg
14 Testa
16 Duncan
18 Dolan
19 Wright
21 Greenwood

Forfar Athletic 

1 McCallum
2 Nditi 🟨 44'
6 Hutton ⚽️ 78' 
19 Munro 🟨25'
3 Brindley 🟨 90'
7 Thomson 🔄 Hanratty 83'
10 Slater
12 Moore
11 McCluskey
17 Armour 🔄 Jack 76'
9 Aitken ⚽️ 52'

Substitutes

4 Whyte
8 Jack
20 Harkins
22 Abed
23 Irvine
24 Hanratty
31 Kennedy

 Referee: Stewart Luke 

Attendance: 219