FORFAR ATHLETIC 0 SHIRE 2

The three points Shire took from their latest trip to Forfar could be very valuable. Goals from Michael Bolochoweckyj and Marc McKenzie gave the team a hard-fought  2-0 win and keeps them on the coat tails of Third Division leaders Cowdenbeath.

It was by no means a great game of football but that won’t matter too much as the team continue their pursuit of promotion out of the Third Division.

Jim McInally stuck with the same starting eleven that scored an important win at Berwick seven days earlier. That mean David King and Bolochoweckyj continued  at the centre of defence while Jamie Stevenson partnered Brian Graham up front.

Forfar had to leave out main striker Ross Campbell, who was injured, but included Johnny Russell who had scored against Shire for Forfar and Dundee United already this season. Also in their line-up was former Shire favourite Kevin Gordon.

The home team certainly started the game in determined mood and had Shire penned in for much of the opening fifteen minutes. But for all that there wasn’t much in the way of anything too dangerous for Mark Peat to deal with. In that opening phase a Craig Winter shot went well wide and there were a flurry of corners which the Shire defence dealt with.

Shire did struggle to get out of their own half but when they did the team looked threatening. Some nice play between Stevenson and Paul Weaver released Andy Rogers who cut inside but was robbed of the ball before he had the chance to shot.

That was on 18 minutes and four minutes later it was Peat who was called into action for the first time when he had to drive low to his  left to save from Martyn Fotheringham’s 25 yard free-kick.

After 25 minutes a quick break from Shire released Rodgers down the right but his shot was blocked for a corner. The resulting flag kick from Derek Ure was floated into the middle for Bolochoweckyj to crash a header past  Ally Brown from eight yards.

Three minutes later it was Peat who preserved the Shire lead by making a great save from a long-range effort from the home team’s Darren Brady. Six minutes later Fotheringham’s corner kick caused a bit of panic in the Shire box and the goalscorer who came to the rescue, heading off the line after Graham Gibson directed the ball goalwards.

A minute before the break Shire should have  made it 2-0. Graham stole the ball from Brown as he rushed from his goal and crossed for Derek Ure who, instead of shooting, passed to Rodgers. His shot was blocked and the rebound landed back at Graham but his effort went wide.

Twice at the start of the second half Shire had decent opportunities to increase their advantage. Rodgers tried his luck with a lob from the edge of the box and then had an even better opportunity after Graham threaded the ball through to him but sent his shot into the side net.

Forfar had some decent chances of their own. Brady tried another shot from distance which went wide of the target. Then, a minute later, Fotheringham crossed from the left for Andy Tod to sent a free header across the face of goal and narrowly wide.

Rodgers seemed to be on the end of most of the chances inside the Forfar box and on 57 minutes he missed another decent opportunity, hitting it just over the bar.

On the hour mark Sean Anderson was withdrawn and replaced by Marc McKenzie, and from his first touch it was evident his pace was going to cause the Forfar defence some problems.

Initially he made good progress down the wing but it was through the middle that he started making a real impact. On 70 minutes he latched onto a long ball out of defence, left the Forfar back line for dead and fired in a shot that squirmed through Brown’s legs and into the net, despite the Forfar keeper’s valiant attempts to keep it out.

Two minutes later Weaver’s long ball again set McKenzie clear. Once more he was one-on-one with Brown but this time he tried to lob the ball towards goal but this time his effort was just too high.

There was controversy ten minutes from the end when Stevenson put the ball out of play to allow treatment to a Forfar player and the home team kept the ball and played substitute Calum Smith clean through on goal. Only a great tackle from King prevented him scoring and the Shire skipper was booked afterwards for remonstrating with the Forfar players about their unsporting behaviour.

In the last few minutes Shire should have added a couple more goals. Weaver came close with a 25 yarder after Stevenson flicked a free-kick into his path, then Graham shaved the outside of the post from the 18 yard line after an exchange of passes with Rodgers.

FORFAR ATHLETIC : Brown, Divine(Lilley 75), Tulloch, Cairns, Tod, Brady, Gordon(C. Smith 75), Winter, G. Gibson, Russell, Fotheringham.

SHIRE ; Peat, Hay, Forrest, King, Bolochoweckyj, Weaver, Anderson(McKenzie 61), Stevenson(Richardson 89), Graham, Ure, Rodgers(Kelly 89).

REFEREE : C. MacKay

ATTENDANCE : 491.