MATCH PREVIEW: Airdrieonians v Forfar Athletic

The ‘Loons’ head west on Saturday to face Airdrieonians in what is the penultimate game of the first quarter of the league campaign as league leaders. However as manager Dick Campbell has stated on many occasions, ‘you never win anything before Christmas!’

The match at the Excelsior Stadium will give Forfar a fourth opportunity to record an away league victory to go alongside their one hundred per cent home record to date. They will come up against a home side who will face the league leaders for a second week running and we all know what happened to Ayr at Somerset Park last Saturday. Two goals in the dying embers of the contest from Luca Gasparotto and super sub Jamie Bain secured a 3-2 victory and the points for the ‘Diamonds’, their first league success of the season.

Gary Bollan’s side had a superb second half of the campaign last season including a 5-1 thrashing of the ‘Loons’ in March to make well and truly certain of survival when hopes had been bleak prior to Christmas and it has been a surprise to many to see them struggle at the beginning of this term. However Forfar will not be treating them with anything other than full respect.

Thankfully the visitors have no new injury worries and it is highly likely that Dick will stick with the same starting eleven for the third week running. Michael Dunlop could well find a spot on the bench having come through two training sessions this week leaving Andrew Steeves, Aaron James and Craig Smith still out of the reckoning due to injury.

Hopefully on the back of last week’s derby success a few of the Station Park faithful will make the eighty plus mile journey to Lanarkshire to lend their support to the cause.

The highly experienced John McKendrick is the man in charge of the proceedings.