Forfar enjoyed an excellent season, finishing second in the league, but were unable to progress by Raith Rovers in the playoff semi-final. Nevertheless, Jim Weir’s men can reflect upon an impressive campaign in which they finished the League One season as the best home team in the division.
Their away form was far patchier, with eight defeats in contrast to seven victories ultimately the reason they did not put up a more sustained fight for the title. Indeed, Forfar started the campaign relatively slowly, which would cost them. Once their hit their stride, they were arguably the league’s strongest team, showing few signs of weakness anywhere in their ranks.
It was a coming-of-age season for centre-back Darren Whyte, who proved to be one of their best players and avoided the injury issues that have previously hampered him. Along with Michael Travis, he formed an important part of the backbone of the team, while goalkeeper Mark McCallum also had a strong campaign. Left-back Adam Eckersley was an excellent pick up in January, while the midfield was boosted at its heart with the arrivals of Brad Spencer and Gary Irvine, strengthening an area that was previously functional but not notably strong.
Where Forfar fell down on occasion was in terms of their creativity. Dylan Easton did not have the trust of Weir, despite being one of their strongest players on his day. He was too inconsistent for the manager’s taste, while there was a consistent threat lacked down the right.
In attack, there was no shortage of talent, with Dale Hilson and John Baird both enjoying excellent seasons. Their depth in that area was never seriously tested as neither suffered injury issues. Indeed, they largely avoided injury concerns as a club, which was vital as they were operating on a playing pool of 19 for much of the season.
Keeping their best players will be a big challenge in the summer and even if they succeed in maintaining the strength of the season, having another campaign so free of injury and suspension seems unlikely. Forfar will do well to better this season.
