The stakes were very different for both teams coming into this, the penultimate game of the 2024/25 League 2 season, as the Loons met Edinburgh City at The Meadowbank Stadium, the game finishing a rather dour 0-0 draw.
Edinburgh came into the game on the back of a very mixed bag of results but already had claimed a spot in the playoffs for League 1 and so some pressure was off for them. However, Forfar faced yet another must win game, finding themselves trapped in the middle of a goal drought, and bearing in mind that Edinburgh had managed to beat Forfar five consecutive times in recent meetings. So, for this one, the travelling Forfar fans had one eye on the pitch and one eye on their phones.
The match started quite brightly for the away team, as, in the first couple of minutes, Craig Slater and Kieran Inglis had chances. Edinburgh had their own chance in 8 minutes as Jason Jarvis’ effort stung Marc McCallum’s fingers, in the Forfar goal. Following a scrappy period of play, a great interplay down the left-hand side by Forfar saw Inglis have his header fizz through for a neat save by the home side's number 1 – Mark Weir.
There followed a passage of play that must have left Forfar fans with strong feelings of deja vu going back to some recent games and debatable penalty decisions. During this attack, and around the penalty spot, Forfar’s Reuben McAllister seemed to be pulled down by Edinburgh’s Lewis McArthur and then seconds later, Forfar’s Alex Ferguson also seemed to have been fouled in the Edinburgh box. There followed a moment of controversy as Forfar became outraged by rookie referee Jamie McCunnie’s total lack of interest in awarding Forfar a penalty, and, to rub salt into Forfar’s wounds, McCunnie then went on to book Alex Ferguson for “simulation”. In the melee that followed, it appeared that Forfar’s manager Jim Weir was also censured.
Edinburgh then came close – firstly, Edinburgh's assist-king, Jarvis touched the ball past the post, with McCallum beaten, then in the 27th minute, the prolific Innes Lawson saw his opportunity disappear as the ball was smothered by big Forfar keeper, McCallum following some promising build up play. Forfar had a chance of their own in the 30th minute, following a Slater free kick, swung into the box, Adam Hutchinson’s free header sailed agonisingly over the bar.
Leading up to half-time saw a fair bit of huffing and puffing, with the home team carving out the better chances, with shots from Lawson and captain James Stokes threatening to break the deadlock. The only other point of interest as half-time approached was a yellow card for Forfar’s Marley Sweenie-Rowe, after leaving his leg in late on Edinburgh’s number 6, Stokes, for a bit too long for referee McCunnie’s liking.
Edinburgh started off the second half by kicking the ball directly out of play for a Forfar goal kick; which proved to be an ominous warning of what fans could expect for the rest of the afternoon.
In the 47th minute, Forfar received a free kick after Edinburgh's Lewis McArthur seemed to have injured himself in a challenge on Forfar’s Brad Rodden. The ensuing free kick was headed not far over the bar by Forfar’s captain, Matty Allan. In the 53rd minute, Forfar midfielder, Craig Slater took what looked like a heavy elbow to the face and was struggling with what looked like a nasty nose injury. However, after some minutes of work by Forfar’s wonderful medical team, the undaunted Slater was able to return to the field of play.
Edinburgh then had a great chance, after Zaid cleverly played in the everly enthusiastic Stokes, only for the Edinburgh striker to have his tame shot smothered by Marc McCallum 6-yards from the Forfar goal.
In the 64th minute, Josh Skelly came on as Forfar sub for Brad Rodden, who’d had a frustrating afternoon, foraging for everything, but it was Edinburgh who looked the more likely to score as Forfar seemed to struggle to hold onto the ball or carve out any real openings.
In the 80th minute, Forfar freshened things up with the pacy Nathan Cannon and six-foot-four Russell McLean replacing Ross Mclean and Reuben McAlister respectively. The final ten minutes of this game, played on a gloomy and dreary afternoon, really fizzled out to nothing.
Both sides had a couple of free kicks and half chances, and yes a couple of yellow cards were shown, but as Jamie McCunnie blew the final whistle in the 94th minute, all Forfar fans minds had long ago drifted towards the result only eight miles away at New Dundas Park.
Forfar’s lack of goals continues to be a worry as we now head into matchday 36, with Forfar needing to win or draw with Stirling Albion next weekend; as Bonnyrigg Rose has shown that every team needs to rely on itself and not worry about anything else that’s going on elsewhere.
Attendance 289.
Match report by Alex Colquhoun.
