MATCH PREVIEW: Arbroath v Forfar Athletic
[Friday, 21 February 2014 08:13]
‘Loon’s supporters will make the short journey down to Gayfield on Saturday hoping that their favourites can get back to winning ways in what is sure to be a tense local derby.
Arbroath however have the upper hand to date this season over the Station Park outfit, winning comfortably 3-0 on home turf back in late September before fully deserving a share of the spoils in horrendous overhead conditions at Forfar in December.
There is an eight point gap between the sides with the “Lichties’ despite an impressive performance down at Stranraer last week, now sitting bottom of the table. In the calendar year to date, on league business, Arbroath have recorded one win and last week’s draw, while Dick Campbell’s troops have secured two wins and a draw and both will be going all out to improve on that record in Saturday’s clash.
Since the last meeting between the sides, Paul Sheerin has certainly added to his strike force with Paul McManus being signed on his release by the ‘Loons’, while Leighton McIntosh arrived on loan from Dundee, the mercurial Kenny Deuchar being lured out of retirement.
Forfar will in all probability welcome back Odmar Faeroe and Dale Hilson who both missed last weekend’s 4-2 defeat from the ‘Pars’ with niggling injuries. Both came through a hard training session on Thursday evening, reporting no ill effects.
The game though will come to soon for club captain Mark McCulloch who continues his fight back to full fitness following the injury sustained away back in August at Dens Park. He could well be in line for a recall by early March.
For Dick and his players, the trip to the coast is the first of three away games in the space of eleven days with visits to Stenhousemuir and Ayr United also on the horizon before another local derby comes along with a visit from Brechin on March 8th.
Saturday’s man in the middle is Ayrshire based Kevin Graham.