MATCH PREVIEW: Forfar Athletic v Peterhead

Forfar Athletic are at home on Saturday for the second week running when they welcome Peterhead to Station Park.

Jim McInally’s side are one of the form teams in the league at present having won four and drawn one of their last five league games. Last weekend they secured another three point haul with a 2-0 home win over Stenhousemuir. Cameron Kerr gave them a 32nd minute lead in that game and despite a rare failure from the penalty spot from hot shot Rory McAllister, it was Kevin Dzierzawski recently acquired from Queen of the South on loan who netted the decisive second counter only thirteen minutes into the second period.

That result left the ‘Blue Toon’ outfit just six points behind the ‘Loons’ with two games in hand.

The home side will go into the contest still hurting from their second home defeat of the season against Morton last Saturday. Most pundits felt that Dick Campbell’s side deserved a share of the spoils against the men from Cappielow in an intense contest and certainly all concerned took great heart even in defeat from what was probably the Athies best overall display of the calendar year to date.

The good news for the home support has been the remarkable recovery of Dale Hilson following his injury scare against Stenhousemuir last month which it was feared originally could side line him for up to six weeks. However he returned in the dying stages of last week’s contest and also played forty-five minutes in a bounce game with Broughty Athletic at Station Park on Tuesday evening.

He is almost certain to feature from the start on Saturday, although Mark Baxter and Michael Dunlop who took no part in Tuesday’s friendly or the normal training session are likely to miss out as they continue their recovery from injury.

Dick Campbell had hoped to bring another player in on loan this week, but the complexity of the SPFL rules on Temporary Transfers has prevented that for the meantime.

When the sides met at Station Park in early September, the home side won more convincingly than the 1-0 score line suggests, Danny Denholm netting the game’s only goal that afternoon, two minutes before the break.

Disappointingly for all, especially a large travelling support that were set to make the trip to the Balmoor Stadium in late December, the second scheduled clash between the sides fell foul of the apres Christmas frosty conditions.

That game is likely to be re-scheduled by the authorities for either later this month or the beginning of March, with a second visit to the Buchan coast due in April.

Remarkably when the final whistle sounds on Saturday, the ‘Loons’ will have thirteen league games left to play, eight of them on ‘foreign’ soil.

With the weather forecast favourable with a distinct rise in reason temperatures a possibility, home officials will be hopeful that after a slightly disappointing crowd last week, the home support will turn out to back their favourites as they attempt to gain three vital points on a day when three of the top five are either on cup duty or inactive.

Saturday’s game will be refereed by Ayrshire based Kevin Graham who was also due to be the man in the middle of the postponed clash on December 27th.

Admission prices on Saturday are the normal £13/7 for the stand, £12/6 for the ground. Home season ticket holders should utilise voucher 18.

The match is sponsored by J&E Shepherd, Chartered Surveyors.

A reminder that the 1984 Lounge a the ground is open for business from 12.30p.m. till kick-off and again on the final whistle till around 7.30p.m. All supporters are welcome to enjoy this facility.