Loons Lack Cutting Edge As Diamonds Sparkle

Airdrie United 2 Forfar Athletic 0

Forfar travelled to the Excelsior Stadium for the first time in a while on the back of some good recent form, but they were to suffer their first defeat since their return to action after the disruption caused by the poor winter weather we all had to suffer.

The Loons started well with some neat passing and slick movement around the immaculate and impressive artificial surface.  Deasley went close with a shot past the post after cutting in from the left, then Templeman tried a speculative forty yard effort which sailed wide of the home goal.  Fotheringham then sent Deasley down the left with a fine pass, but when the ball was played into the box Ross Campbell just failed to connect for what would have been a certain goal.  Then in an almost identical move Sellars fed Deasley down the left but this time his cross was volleyed just wide by Ross Campbell.  Gallacher had to look smart in the Forfar goal as he palmed a McCord shot over the bar as Airdrie threatened for the first time.  This was Airdrie finally getting in to the game after about twenty minutes of Forfar domination and Donnelly was unlucky to see his header come back off the Forfar crossbar with Gallacher beaten.  Templeman then set up Deasley but the Forfar winger’s shot was deflected past the post.  Home keeper Ridgers had to look sharp to beat Fotheringham to the ball after Deasley had tried to play him in through the middle.  Airdrie’s Lovering tried a shot from long range but it didn’t trouble Gallacher as he watched the ball go wide of the post.  As the first half came to a close Forfar were on the ascendency and Ross Campbell saw his header from a left wing free kick brilliantly palmed over the bar by Ridgers in the home goal.  Sellars was then bundled to the ground in the home box but no spot kick was given, before Airdrie raced up the park only for Stevenson to be denied by the outstretched leg of Gallacher in the Forfar goal.  The half ended with Templeman being fouled on the edge of the Airdrie box and Fotheringham sending the resultant free kick straight into the arms of Ridgers.

Airdrie were quick off the mark in the second half, but they had a nervous moment when a Fotheringham free kick was headed straight back across the face of Ridgers’ goal by a home defender.  The home side then took the lead against the run of play on forty-nine minutes when a break down the right saw the ball played into the path of Donnelly who slid the ball into the net.  Forfar went looking for the equaliser and Templeman turned smartly in the Airdrie box but his shot was parried high into the side netting by Ridgers.  From the resultant corner the ball pinged about in the home box before a shout for handball was instantly followed by Sellars firing a shot just wide of the post.  Airdrie should have scored a second when a loose ball broke to Fairweather in the Forfar box but he ballooned his shot over the bar.  Midway through the second half Forfar had an excellent opportunity to get level when Deasley worked his way down the left but his low cross in to the box was pulled across the face of the home goal by Ross Campbell as he met the ball at the back post.  Deasley was working the home defence well down the left and Airdrie, once again, were lucky not to concede a penalty when the Forfar winger was barged to the ground just inside the box.  Forfar’s fate in this game was sealed in the seventy-first minute when Airdrie went two up after a scrappy deflected cross from the left looped up over Gallacher and was nodded home by Gemmill on the goal line.  Forfar lost Bolochoweckyj to injury soon afterwards when he was bundled into Gallacher from behind whilst chasing back a long through ball.  Brady came on to replace the Forfar defender.  There was controversy as the game entered the final ten minutes when Ross Campbell went clean through but was body-checked just outside the Airdrie box by home keeper Ridgers.  No foul was awarded much to the disgust of the Forfar striker amongst others.  Deasley then picked up a loose ball on the left but his shot went well clear of the target.  Ross Campbell had a shot on goal soon afterwards, but like Deasley he also failed to hit the target.  In the final seconds of the game Forfar keeper Gallacher made two excellent saves as Airdrie finished the match on the offensive.

Overall this was a classic game of two halves, and Forfar clearly paid the penalty for not turning first half pressure into goals.  There was a sense that had the Loons scored early the home side may well have crumbled, but as it turned out Airdrie grew in confidence as the game progressed into the second half and they were well worth their sorely needed victory.

Match Report by Cameron Davidson