A young Dundee United side left it late to level against a fighting Forfar team in this friendly at Station Park.
Justin Johnson, who was lively and threaning throughout the match, was the saviour as he fired into the net on 85 minutes.
David Cox had put Gary Bollan’s Loons ahead on 16 minutes, slotting past Tangerines goalkeeper Luis Zwick from the penalty spot.
However, it was a deserved draw for United in their first public pre-season match of the summer.
They had Slovenian trialist striker Alen Ploj in their side and, as promised by manager Ray McKinnon, the rest of the team was a mixture of some experience and lots of youth.
On six minutes, the Tannadice team had the first attempt on goal but Harry Souttar’s header off a Charlie Telfer corner flew over the bar.
Just a minute later, though, Forfar came close when Thomas O’Brien headed over from Jamie Bain’s corner.
Ali Coote had a shot from the edge of the box on 10 minutes but Loons keeper Grant Adam saved well, while he also comfortably held a freekick from Telfer.
United had dominated the early play but it was the hosts who took the lead on 16 minutes.
Cox was the scorer from the penalty spot after Matthew Aitken was bundled over by United’s Jamie Robson.
The Tangerines tried to hit back on 23 minutes and Telfer’s strike from 25 yards wasn’t too far away, then Justin Johnson screwed a shot wide after a good run.
As half-time approached, Coote played in Henri Anier but he couldn’t get the ball under control.
United nearly started the second half with an equaliser, with Ploj just inches away from nodding in Johnson’s cross at the back post.
Ploj and Johnson combined again a minute later but the Slovenian missed the ball as he tried to flick it home from close range.
The same pair were involved in a fine United move on 54 minutes when Johnson burst into the right-hand side of the box and instead of shooting squared the ball to Ploj. The striker’s shot rattled off the face of the bar but it wouldn’t have counted had it hit the back of the net as he was flagged offside.
Anier ballooned a shot over after he was found by another excellent cutback from Johnson on the hour mark before United made three changes. On came Blair Spittal, Scott Fraser and Simon Murray, with Anier, Coote and Ploj making way.
The Loons, who had brought on Angus Mailer for Jamie Bain, were on the back-foot gain on 73 minutes when Robson raced down the left and crossed but there were no takers. The rebound fell to sub Spittal, whose shot was off target.
The Tangerines kept pushing on and Forfar keeper Adam did well to save low from Murray before the former Arbroath frontman blasted over from inside the box.
The visitors got the goal they deserved five minutes from time.
Sub Fraser played the ball on to Johnson up the right and he moved just into the box before firing in a low shot that squeezed through Adam’s legs.
Attendance: 1,623.
Forfar: Adam, MacKintosh, Bain (Mailer 65), Munro, Malcolm, O’Brien, Aitken, Milne, Lister, Hya (Devine 88), Cox. Subs not used: King, Yates.
Dundee United: Zwick, Dillon, Telfer, Ploj (Murray 63), Anier (Fraser 63), Coote (Spittal 63), Johnson, Robson, Sukar, Ballantyne, Souttar. Subs not used: Long, Donaldson, Taylor.
Referee: Barry Cook.
