Football Season Guide

Forfar eventfully won promotion to League One last season through the play-offs but a pretty miserable second half to the campaign saw them toil badly. The start that Gary Bollan's side have made to the new season does not bode well, either. In the Betfred Cup, they played poorly and finished bottom of Group A. In terms of their squad, they have lost a trio of important players to Arbroath, with Tom O’Brien, Danny Denholm and Gavin Swankie all trading the Loons for their local rivals. Furthermore, veteran defender Stuart Malcolm has retired and long-time servant Martyn Fotheringham has moved on. Bollan has recruited Dylan Easton, one of the most dangerous players in League Two last season, to replace the creative central midfielder. He has also added Ouzy See from the division below in an attempt to add firepower. Easton, however, has been battling a serious knee injury, else he may have been able to sign for a better side, and his arrival is considered to be something of a gamble. It is in midfield that the most dramatic change has taken place with Scott McBride and Mark Millar also arriving into what will be a largely new unit. Marc McCallum, who spent last season out of the picture at Plymouth, has also joined the club but has made a somewhat inauspicious start to life at Station Park. The same can be said of centre-back Simon Mensing, whose lack of pace was exposed regularly by Stirling Albion's quick attack in the Betfred Cup. No doubt it will become a target for other sides. Forfar do look pretty robust at the back on paper, yet the momentum that has worked against them for the last few months is clearly an issue. That could be their biggest hurdle to being competitive in the league this season.