SHIRE 2 FORFAR ATHLETIC 1

The heavens opened above Firs Park in the hours prior to kick-off but not even the monsoon conditions could wash away the team's desire to make it three wins in the space of a week.

Having taken the lead through Gary Kelly's 27th minute penalty, Gordon Wylde's team found themselves pegged back when John Ovenstone scored Forfar's equaliser just six minutes later.

But the new determination that runs through this Shire team came shining through when skipper Andrew Brand burst through to score what turned out to be the winner less than 30 seconds after Forfar's leveller.

The coach was forced into one change from the side that had beaten Dumbarton seven days earlier. Marc McKenzie failed to recover from his ankle injury so Gordon Moffat moved up to the outside-right role with Paul Doyle taking over at right-back.

One other switch saw Derek Ure replace Graeme McLaren on the left-hand side of midfield, and it was Ure who had the game's first chance after two minutes.

Brand's brilliant pass sent Ure clear with only keeper Sandy Wood to beat but the former Celtic youth goalie got his angles right and saved his team's bacon with a goal-denying block.

Forfar responded with a decent chance of their own after 13 minutes. A clever one-two on the edge of the between Sean Kilgannon and Gavin Beith saw the latter waste a good opportunity with a shot across the face of goal and wide.

Ure was in the thick of things for Shire and after 17 minutes be played Brand in but the skipper's shot from the edge of the box was just too high. Forfar came back and Paul Lunan forced a decent save out of Darren Hill with a 20 yarder.

After 25 minutes Brand shot and Wood saved but when the rebound fell to Ure he somehow managed to shoot wide of the empty net.

His blushes were saved just a minute later when Savage turned Allision inside out leaving the Forfar man with little option but to pull the Shire striker to ground.

After what seemed an eternity referee Frank McDermott pointed to the penalty spot and Gary Kelly put the home team in front with a well-taken spot kick.

Six minutes later Forfar levelled things. Kilgannon's corner kick found John Ovenstone unmarked at the back post and the central defender had time to trap the ball before shooting past the exposed Hill.

Shire tok the re-start and played the ball back to the keeper who launched it upfield. Allison made a dreadful attempt at a clearance and Brand raced in on goal to score. Forfar had been level for all of 30 seconds.

But three minutes further own Loons' striker Michele Lombardi should have levelled things again but shot wide when well-placed. With a minute of the half to go Ure again squandered a decent chance.

Forfar sent on former Tayport striker Bryan Duell as a substitute and on the hour mark he brought a superb diving save from Hill to prevent a certain goal.

But Forfar's best chance of another goal came on 74 minutes when Lombardi hit the post with a fine shot on the turn. At the other end a free flowing move saw Gordon Moffat go close while Savage's ambitious overhead kick crept narrowly wide.

For the last half hour as the rain drove down relentlessly so Forfar never stopped battering away at Shire's back line. But for all their possession and territorial advantage they failed to come up with another real goalscoring opportunity.

Shire : Hill, Doyle(McLaren 82), K. McBride, King, Thywissen, Kelly, Donaldson(Simpson 62), Brand, Savage, Moffat, Ure.

Forfar : Wood, McNally, Beith(Stuart 67), Allison, Ovenstone, Fotheringham, Lunan, Kilgannon, Lombardi, Lumsden(Duell 55), Tulloch(Grady 76).

Referee : F. McDermott

Attendance : 326.

 

Back