A pledge fulfilled by Forfar boss Dick Campbell won the Loons a 125th anniversary year return to the second division on a Station Park day of drama and emotion.
The nerve-jangling ‘super Sunday’ in front of a 2000-plus crowd saw Campbell’s 10-man Loons consign their Angus neighbours to bottom division football next season and amidst sunshine scenes of jubilation it was family at the heart of the victorious manager’s thoughts.
The Loons’ management pairing of Dick and brother Ian lost their brother and mother in a dreadful August 2008 for the Campbell clan, and the goals from Martyn Fotheringham and Bryan Deasley which sparked the promotion party also ushered in a time of poignant reflection for the gaffer.
“We’ve had some terrible times in our private life as a family and that’s for them today,” said an emotional Campbell.
“We came here a couple of years ago and things weren’t too good, but we said we would take Forfar back to the second division and I thought we should have done better last year and possibly achieved that.
“But we’ve finished second in the league this time, progressed the football team and won the play-off and I’m just delighted for everyone at Forfar Athletic.
“I’m a very lucky man. I have good people surrounding me and this is Forfar Athletic’s day, not Dick Campbell’s day.”
He added, “We won the game on pure stealth it was an unadulterated battle but there was a lot of pressure outside the box and, as in midweek, I don’t think my keeper had a real save to make.”CommiserationsCampbell added, “My commiserations to Jim (Weir). He’s a guy I know well and like and he’s a young manager who will learn from what he has gone through in the play-offs.”
Dejected Weir was honest in his admission that the Lichties hadn’t been able to stand in the way of their local rivals’ passage back to the second division.
“I could make all the excuses I want, but over the two games we didn’t do enough,” he said.
“Let’s take nothing from Forfar they came to ours and got the draw and then the early goal today to give them a lift.
“Over the two games we didn’t cause them enough problems in the final third.”
Weir added, “We have been absolutely hammered by injuries this season, and we had players out today, but we still had enough quality that we could have caused them problems and that didn’t happen.
“Forfar are a cracking club and I wish them well.
“Football is one of two things, highs or lows and we are in a low, but the test is how quickly you recover from setbacks like this.
“This is a massive disappointment and anyone who knows me knows how much this will be affecting me.”
The knife-edge balance of the play-off final drew the expected bumper crowd and the opening stages threw up more direct action on goal than the entire 90 minutes at Gayfield, with Forfar making the dream start with a stunning opener.Sweet spotIt came from a stand-side throw-in which Mark McCulloch launched into the visitors’ area and when it was flicked on by Chris Templeman, Fotheringham found the sweet spot to give Darren Hill no chance from just inside the box.
But Kenny McLean nearly shocked the still celebrating home fans just seconds later when he smashed a left foot shot off the underside of the bar, and Jim Weir’s men continued their search for a quick leveller with a right foot effort from Steven Doris after he was set free by Kenny McLean down the right flank.
The Lichties kept the pressure on and had a close in effort blocked before Keith Gibson’s shot from the rebound slid wide.
A McLean run halted for a free-kick gave Arbroath another decent chance but Gibson drove the 25-yard effort over the top.
In 35 minutes, Loons keeper Euan McLean did well to push away a cross from the head of Robbie Ross right on the goal-line and the action switched to the other end a few minutes later when a deep Bishop free-kick found Gibson in the area but his downward header posed no threat to Darren Hill.
Templeman found himself just too far ahead of a good Tulloch cross to make the best of Forfar’s first second-half chance, before the Loons were forced to introduce Bryan Deasley in place of scorer Fotheringham in 49 minutes.
The tension amongst the 2200-strong crowd was cranked up with the sending off on the hour of Steven Tulloch for a second booking after his challenge on McLean and visiting fans urged their side to make the man advantage count.
But the Loons’ feeling of injustice over the ref’s decision steeled their determination to hold on to the promotion prize and in injury time Deasley had the Arbroath fans pouring for the exit en masse when he picked up the ball and homed directly in on goal before coolly beating Hill to seal the step up.
Crowd: 2207.
In the first division play-off final, Cowdenbeath won 3-0 at Brechin to clinch promotion.
Gareth Wardlaw scored two after Joseph Mbu had put the the visitors ahead.