Forfar Athletic 0 Bonnyrigg Rose 2

The tension was crackling in the air this weekend as an extra-large crowd at The Alpha Projects Stadium @ Station Park saw Forfar fall to a 2-0 defeat to Bonnyrigg Rose, with the home team only requiring a draw to ensure League 2 safety.

Bonnyrigg came into this match on a poor run of form, finding themselves rooted to the bottom of League 2 and facing the prospect of having to win their final three games of the season to avoid potential relegation. Also, Forfar appeared to have a potential advantage, having won the previous three meetings between the clubs this season, including a 5-1 drubbing of Bonnyrigg at Christmas time.

The first few minutes saw a cagey passage of play and on 5 minutes, after Forfar’s Brad Rodden was fouled, the following free kick came to nothing, setting the pattern of play for the rest of the game. The next few minutes were scrappy, with the ball more often in the air than on the pitch until, in 12 minutes, Bonnyrigg’s Angus Mailer had a shot from outside the box fired closely over Marc McCallum's goal. In 22 minutes, there appeared to be a heavy collision between Bonnyrigg’s Angus Mailer and Forfar’s Danny Denholm, however both players were able to continue.

Play continued to be messy, with both sides guilty of not holding up the play, until the 27th minute. Bonnyrigg’s Kieran McGachie made a rare attacking run down the left and was unluckily brought down at the edge of the box by Forfar’s Cammy Logan. The referee awarded a penalty, despite Forfar protests regarding the foul not being inside the box. The Bonnyrigg captain, Neil Martyniuk sent Forfar keeper, McCallum, the wrong way to make it 1-0 to the away side.

The period of play which followed featured a series of free kicks for Forfar, but the home team was not able to take any advantage. Right on halftime, Forfar’s Danny Denholm slipped Alex Ferguson through on goal, but the Bonnyrigg keeper easily gathered the ball.

At the start of the second half, Forfar made an immediate substitution, with Denholm off and Forfar top scorer, Russell McLean, coming on. A Forfar free kick turned into a yellow card for Bonnyrigg’s Murray Aiken as he obstructed the ball and in the next minute, from a Reuben McAlister free kick, Matty Alan’s header just squeezed past the far post. Another period of scrappy play followed, with Forfar receiving a number of free kicks, all of which came to nothing.

In the 52nd minute, Forfar thought they’d secured a penalty of their own, as there seemed to be a clear handball by Mailer in the Bonnyrigg box.

Bonnyrigg’s McGachie and then Sean Murphy both received yellow cards – both for a series of persistent fouls. At the same time, Forfar continued to press, seemingly much more direct, now that Russell McLean gave them something more to aim at. However, play continued to break down too often, with a couple of long-range shots off-target of the Bonnyrigg goal.

In 65 minutes, Jim Weir decided to freshen things up, with Nathan Cannon replacing Josh Skelly, who’d had thin pickings to feed off all afternoon. The pacy Cannon had an immediate impact as he offered Forfar another dimension on the right. But, in a rare foray up the park, in the 67th minute, Bonnyrigg scored the second goal that would prove to settle matters, as a Kieran Sommerville cross was met at the far post by Bonnyrigg top-scorer, Cameron Ross, unmarked, who headed the ball confidently past Marc McCallum in the Forfar goal.

The passage of fouls and free kicks continued for the next few minutes, with Forfar changing things; bringing on the attack-minded Kieran Inglis for Brad Rodden. This led to a passage of play during which Forfar may have taken advantage of a couple of goalkeeping errors by Bonnyrigg’s Patrick Martin. Firstly, a Russell McLean effort dribbled through the keeper’s fingers, only leading to a corner and then Forfar had two corners, both of which ended being punched, uncertainly, straight up in the air by the Bonnyrigg keeper. Chances for Forfar followed – Cannon looking bright; Inglis having a shot tipped around the post and McAllister having a shot straight at the keeper.

The 87th minute maybe summed up Forfar's afternoon best as they got a foul near the edge of the box after Bonnyrigg’s Currie brought down Forfar’s Inglis. The subsequent free kick drifted into the box was far too near Bonnyrigg’s keeper, Martin. In the 90th minute, Forfar felt that they should have had a second penalty as Russell McLean appeared to be held back in the box by the Bonnyrigg captain, but despite the roars of the crowd, referee Alastair Grieve waved play on.

Forfar fans may have left Station Park feeling somewhat aggrieved: there were plenty of chances for the home team, especially in terms of set pieces, and fans also believed that Forfar could have had a couple of penalties. On top of this, Bonnyrigg had very little to offer in and around the box and in fact the only 2 shots on target that they had all afternoon were their two goals.

On to Edinburgh City next weekend for Forfar, the Loons hopefully continuing their impressive away form, whilst Bonnyrigg face The Spartans, Bonnyrigg not having been able to beat the Edinburgh club this season and the outcomes of both matches leaving fans still with nerves jangling.

Crowd: 903
Man of the Match: Cammy Logan