It can never be a bad day at the office when a draw at home still results in you extending your lead at the top of the table.
That was the scenario that unfolded at Station Park as Forfar Athletic were held to a 1-1 draw by a very impressive Stranraer side yet still saw them move two points clear at the top of League One thanks to nearest rival Dunfermline’s late collapse against Morton.
Loons boss Dick Campbell said he had no complaints about the outcome of the match.
“A lot of credit has to go to Stranraer to be honest.
“I thought a draw was a fair result. We haven’t been guilty of making a lot of errors but we made a mistake in the first minutes and they buried it.
“They had one real goal scoring chance, I think, and they took it. And what a lift they got from it.
“But Stranraer were in the top four all last season so they are not a bad side at all.
“We had two or three good chances to penetrate them but we didn’t so I would be kidding myself on to say we deserved more.”
The Loons had a nightmare first half as the visitors showed just what a solid side they are, coming out all guns blazing and taking the lead in the first minute.
A cross from Willie Gibson on the left was well met by Sean Winter and he rose unchallenged to steer a header past the flat-footed Rab Douglas in the Forfar goal.
Forfar struggled to show the form that had taken them to the top of the league and they barely strung two passes together for long spells in the blustery wind. Douglas twice pulled off great saves, from David Stoney and Stephen Stirling to keep the Loons in touch.
Then two minutes from the interval Forfar equalised in stunning fashion. Dale Hilson pounced on a bobbling ball 25 yards out and lashed an unstoppable drive past David Mitchell.
The second half was a more even affair with both sides having chances to win, Chris Aitken screwing a shot wide from the edge of the box for Stranraer and Hilson twice uncharacteristically failing to find the target for Forfar.
“Conditions were not good and the wind prevailed,” Campbell said. “I’ve always been an advocate of putting the game off in a wind like that because you cannot pass the ball.”