Montrose v Forfar Athletic – match preview

Ladbrokes League 1

Venue – Links Park

Date – Saturday 9^th November  – kick-off 3 p.m.

Admission Prices – Adults £15  Concessions (65 & over, Under 18’s & Students) £8   Parent and one child £18

League Position;- Montrose – 7^th – 16 points from 12 games   Forfar Athletic – 10^th  – 10 points from 12 games

Previous Results this season; –

Betfred Cup – Montrose 1 Forfar Athletic 4 at Links Park on 20.7.19

Tunnocks Cup – Montrose 2 Forfar Athletic 1 at Links Park on 13.8.19

League 1 – Forfar Athletic 2 Montrose 0 at Station Park on 21.9.19

Summary –  Football is indeed a strange game and nothing illustrates that more than the respective records of Forfar Athletic and Montrose since goals from Mark Docherty and Jamie Bain secured the three points for the ‘Loons’ at Station Park against the ‘Gable Endies’ on September 21^st.

That win saw the Station Park outfit sitting on ten points from seven games played while the men from Links Park were in bottom spot in the Ladbrokes League 1 table with a solitary point to their name.

Five games on and an astonishing fifteen points later Stewart Petrie’s side now sit on the sixteen point mark, with the Athies who have lost the last five, six points adrift.

Forfar head down to the coast without manager Jim Weir after he decided to step down following last weekend’s defeat from Falkirk.

Barry Smith assisted by Gary Irvine will assume temporary charge of the side on the day and they will have taken encouragement as did the home support from the effort and commitment put in by the players in the game against the ‘Bairns’.

There is no doubt that a cutting edge was still missing but surely on the evidence of last week’s game that elusive victory and with it three points that are so badly needed is just ‘around the corner.’

Barry will have a near full-strength squad at his disposal.   Andy Jackson is still sidelined following the head knock and concussion he received in the September clash between the sides, but he did return to light training earlier in the week, while of course, Russell McLean cannot play against his parent club.

The home side are almost certain to be along similar lines to the side that won 1-0 at East Fife last Saturday.  In the process, Montrose became the first team to win five on the bounce in League 1 this term and also the first team to ‘lower the colours’ of Darren Young’s side.

Despite the ‘Loons’ recent run, the encouragement from the stand and terracing last Saturday was a very positive factor and hopefully, the Station Park faithful will make the short trip to Links Park this weekend to continue their backing of Michael Travis and his teammates.

Hopefully, they will be rewarded with continued improvement on the park, with the ’icing on the cake’ three precious points into the bargain.

Match Officials – Referee – Barry Cook  Assistants – Gary Hilland & Andrew Bryson

Supporters Info – On the day before Remembrance Sunday, the match officials and both teams will be led out on to the pitch by Standard Bearers from the Montrose Branch of the Royal British Legion, prior to the playing of the Last Post which will be followed by a minute’s silence in Memory of the Fallen.

Ladbrokes League 1 fixtures this Saturday – Clyde v Peterhead, Dumbarton v East Fife, Falkirk v Airdrieonians, Raith Rovers v Stranraer