Forfar v Hamilton Academicals - Sunday 23rd. March 2008

Forfar Farmington Ladies 3 v Hamilton Accies. Ladies 3

Both sides created plenty of chances in this exciting game at the West End and will feel that victory should have been theirs but a draw was probably the right result.  The visitors took the lead early on, when in the fourth minute a blocked shot fell kindly to Pam Liddell who collected the rebound and drove the ball past a despairing Fiona McNicoll in the Farmington goal.

While the styles of both sides contrast markedly, Forfar favouring a measured passing approach as opposed to Hamilton’s more direct route the result is always an open exciting game with plenty of goals. 

But for a tremendous save from McNicoll, who tipped a well-struck free kick over the bar, Hamilton could have gone two up.

A minute later Caren Webster was denied by a fine save from the Hamilton keeper Elaine Fleming after some good build up work from Nicola Davidson and Alana Bruce.

Forfar were beginning to question whether it was going to be their day when two minutes later Avril Gourlay saw a thunderous header rebound off the post following a corner.

They shouldn’t have worried though as they opened their account on the half hour when the influential Bruce struck an unstoppable shot from the edge of the box to level the scores.

Lynn Duncan went close with a header just over the bar as the game ebbed and flowed. Joanne Collier and Clare Garrett were having fine tussles in midfield as both teams battled to gain the ascendancy.

Hamilton regained the lead in the 37th minute when Karen Penglask’s long-range driven shot found the corner of the net. Tracy Brogan was unlucky not to equalise minutes before half time, having slotted the ball past the oncoming keeper only to see it cleared off the line by some brave defending which resulted in a collision with the post.

The second half was much the same as the first with both teams creating plenty of chances and but for some good defending and a few misses the score could have been six-all!

Ten minutes into the second half Forfar drew level once again. Collier, who had a fine match in midfield, supplying an early ball to Bruce who picked out the keeper off her line and smashed a long shot into the far corner of the net from some 25 yards. 

Hamilton’s Liddell missed the best chance of the game when having cleverly beaten the defence, she was unable to beat the in-form McNicoll who made another great save.

The arrival of Jane McFarlane who has missed recent games through injury immediately injected some much-needed energy into the game, forcing corners off harassed defenders. McFarlane and Garrett both shot wide as Forfar pushed for victory.

As the game moved into injury time Hamilton were awarded a hotly-disputed penalty, which Penglask slotted home to put the visitors 3-2 in front.

Rather than be resigned to defeat with so little time left, Forfar immediately hit back with a brilliantly struck shot from McFarlane, which stunned the visitors who thought they had stolen victory. Needless to say Forfar, who deserved something from this match, were the happier of the two sides having left it so late. 

In the absence of Gemma Collier and Kim Thomson, both on under17 International duty, and the suspended Claire Galloway, this was an excellent display from the entire team and a great advertisement for the women’s game.