Blues slump against Loons: Forfar 3 Stranraer 2


Ian Harty

By S. Archibald
March 30 2002

A first-half Ian Harty double was not enough for Stranraer to get any points from today's match against Forfar Athletic. Forfar staged a second-half comeback through Willie Stewart and a Paul Tosh double to keep their slim promotion hopes alive and to increase Stranraer's relegation woes.

FORFAR

3-2

STRANRAER

Stewart (63)
Tosh (73, 85)
0-2
(HT)
Harty (39, 45)

Stranraer should have eased their relegation worries with a convincing win if the first half of this match was anything to go by. Instead the Blues left Station Park with no points despite being 0-2 up at half-time.

The Blues played some very attractive football in the opening minutes of the match and it was clear that they would have a few scoring opportunities in this game.

Despite having a few chances it was not until the 39th minute that Harty Harty opened the scoring. A lovely through ball from George Shaw found Harty who fired in a power full shot from the edge of the box to beat Stranraer-born Michael brown in the Forfar goal.

On the stroke of half-time Harty added a second goal with a solo effort which again gave Brown little chance to stop the shot.

Stranraer started the second half off picking up where they had left off before the interval with some lovely moves and keeping up the pressure on the Forfar goal.

However, Forfar came back into the match in the 63rd minute when Willy Stewart blasted the ball home from 3-yards out to give Mark McGeown little chance in the goal.

Only ten minutes later the game was level. The Loon's top scorer Paul Tosh shot home from close range to beat McGeown.

With only five minutes remaining Paul Lunan fed a great ball to an unmarked Paul Tosh, and the forward took his goal tally to 21 by beating McGeown for the second time in one match.

The remaining five minutes was played at a furious rate as the Blues pushed to salvage a point for the match. Despite having three great chances by the forwards, they were unable to perform miracles.

In summary, for the second time in three games the Blues have taken a two goal lead and crumbled in the second half. In the last match against Alloa Athletic at least we picked up a point while after today's games we sink deeper into the threat of relegation.

Stranraer MOM: Ian Harty - Harty seems to have regained his goal scoring touch and his is now back into third place for the leagues top scorer (after Paul Tosh and Jon O'Neill). Despite getting two goals today the forward will be disappointed in not having got any points from the match.

 

Attendance: 427

Team / Formation:

McGeown
Macdonald
Wingate
Wright
Jenkins
Stirling
Grace
Aitken
Dempster
Harty
Shaw

 

Subs

  • Finlayson for Grace (39 min)

Subs not used: Paterson, Gaughan, Weir, O'Neill.

Referee: I. G. Frickleton

Stranraer Bookings:

None

Forfar: Brown, Rattray, McCulloch, McCloy, Good, Henry, Stewart, Byers, Tosh, Christie, Donaldson. Subs: Moffat, Farnan, Lunan, Morris, Ferrie.

 

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