Stranraer are only looking up the table after a hat-trick of wins lifted them closer to the top four.
A Craig Ross header gave Stranraer all three points against Edinburgh City at Meadowbank Stadium on Saturday.
That came after victories over Stirling Albion and Elgin City and sets the Blues up for Forfar’s Tuesday night visit.
Speaking after the full-time whistle in the capital, Deryn Lang told how the squad was really coming together.
He said: “It was a good performance from the boys.
“You can see from the last however many games that we have been progressing well.
“There is much more of a sense of togetherness and it is really, really good.
“You can see it is resonating within the squad and that is three wins back to back.
“We are confident going into the game on Tuesday against Forfar and hopefully we can make it four wins back to back.”
It has been an eventful season for Stranraer with three managers in the home dugout.
However, the club seems to be on an upwards trajectory with five wins from their last seven games.
Lang, who is in his second season at Stair Park, said: “When the manager first came in, obviously, it is a new face and you are trying to impress the gaffer.
“I think now the confidence is sky high and you feel that in training.
“The training has always been intense but if you are winning there is more confidence.
“For myself, personally, I think it was the Threave Rovers game.
“I came on, scored and got man of the match and my confidence skyrocketed.
“I’m sure everyone else’s confidence skyrocketed and you can see that in the performances, not just mine but everybody’s.
“We just take it game by game just now and one game at a time.
“If we beat Forfar on Tuesday, then we are four points off of fourth.”
The recent upturn in results means that Stranraer are flying high.
At the same time, Lang is looking upwards, literally.
The frontman missed the victory over Stirling Albion last month but it was not through injury or suspension.
He said: “I missed last Saturday because I was sitting my test to become a pilot.
“It is still early days but it is always something I wanted to be when I was younger.
“This opportunity came up and I thought I may as well try to grab it.
“I’ve not fully decided yet but I think I would be disappointed if I did not at least try.
“It’s something I have wanted to do ever since I was young.”
Last meeting
Station Park has not been a happy hunting ground for Stranraer in recent years but Grant Gallagher’s header gave the Blues a first win there since September 2015.
Things got off to a nervy start though as Lewis Reid and then Tom Brindley had to clear goalbound efforts off the line.
Stranraer had failed to threaten in the opening 45 minutes but, ultimately, would find the only goal of the game. Brindley gained possession deep in his half and found Robbie Foster down the line. He exchanged passed with Ryan Edgar before swinging the ball in for Gallagher to head home.
Foster came close to sealing the win but the hosts would have chances for an equaliser. Brad Rodden pulled one effort wide of the target and then his volley flew just over the crossbar.
Forfar Athletic: McCallum, Logan, Sweenie-Rowe, Morrison, M Allan, Cannon, Inglis (Whatley 73), Robson (Malcolm 78), MacLean (Rodden 64), Skelly (F Allan 46), McLean.
Not used: Hutchinson, Taylor, Lemon and Paris.
Stranraer: Lane, Brindley, Cummins (McIntosh 59), Ross, Ecrepont, Reid, Robertson, Gallagher, Russell, Foster (A Trialist 77), Edgar (Quigg 88).
Not used: McKnight, Guthrie and Kane.
Last five meetings
- Forfar Athletic 0 Stranraer 1 (Gallagher) at Station Park on January 25, 2025
- Forfar Athletic 2 Stranraer 1 (Cannon and Malcolm; Guthrie) at Station Park on September 21, 2024
- Forfar Athletic 2 Stranraer 0 (Whatley and Morrison) at Station Park on April 27, 2024
- Stranraer 0 Forfar Athletic 0 at Stair Park on March 2, 2024
- Forfar Athletic 1 Stranraer 1 (M Allan; McDonald) at Station Park on December 2, 2023
Last five games
Stranraer
- WIN v Edinburgh City (A): 0-1 (Ross)
- WIN v Stirling Albion (H): 3-0 (McKnight, Dunlop and Foster)
- WIN v Elgin City (H): 1-0 (Grant)
- LOSS v Clyde (A): 2-0
- WIN v Spartans (H): 2-0 (Docherty and Edgar)
Forfar Athletic
- LOSS v Clyde (H): 0-1
- DRAW v The Spartans (A): 1-1 (McAllister)
- WIN v Bonnyrigg Rose (A): 0-2 (McAllister and Own goal)
- LOSS v Stirling Albion (A): 3-1 (McLean)
- LOSS v Edinburgh City (H): 0-1
Last time out
Stranraer
Lineup v Edinburgh City: Lane, Ross, Docherty, Ecrepont, Reid, Robertson (Lang 77), Dunlop, Quigg (Hawkshaw 61), McKnight, Grant (Guthrie 90), Edgar (Foster 61).
Not used: Kane.
Forfar Athletic
Lineup v Clyde: McCallum, Logan, Morrison, Allan, Cannon (Byrne 60), Young (Inglis 73), Malcolm (Ferguson 58), Taylor (Rodden 73), McAllister (McLean 58), Lemon, Slater.
Not used: Hutchinson, Whatley, Robson and Paris.
Five facts
1. Full-back Sam Lidington celebrates his 28th birthday on Tuesday. The former Kilmarnock youngster had a brief career at Stair Park, featuring twice at the beginning of the 2018/19 season. He replaced Mark Lamont for the final 11 minutes in a 5-3 defeat to Queen of the South before getting the final few seconds in a 1-1 draw with Raith Rovers when he replaced Ian Smith. The left back joined Hurlford United on loan and he remains there to this day.
2. Victory over Edinburgh City at Meadowbank Stadium means Stranraer have won three games in a row. The last time the Blues won four league games in a row was towards the end of the 2017/18 season. A trip to Arbroath saw Stranraer come from 2-0 down to win 3-2 (Stephen Okoh, Grant Anderson and Scott Agnew scored). That was followed by a 2-0 win over Forfar (Agnew and Ross Lyon scored) before a trip to Alloa saw a 1-0 win (Morgyn Neill found the net). Finally, the Blues won 2-1 at Ayr United with Anderson and Agnew on target.
3. Marc McCallum has been a regular between the posts for Forfar Athletic in recent seasons and played more than 300 games for the Station Park side. Plenty of those have come against Stranraer but his first appearance at Stair Park came in a Livingston shirt. That was in the 2015/16 promotion playoffs, with the Blues winning 8-6 on aggregate. The Wigtownshire leg finished 5-2 to the home side with Mark McGuigan scoring two and Andy Stirling and Willie Gibson also on target, alongside an own goal. Jordan White and Liam Buchanan scored for the visitors.
4. Craig Ross scored the only goal at Meadowbank Stadium and became the first player to reach 3,000 minutes in a Stranraer shirt this season.
5. Among the players to have played for both Stranraer and Forfar Athletic is Jamie McCluskey. The former Hibs youngster had more of an impact at Station Park than Stair Park. He made 14 appearances for the Angus side. His final appearance for Forfar was at Stair Park, with the home side winning 3-1 (Sean Winter, Scott Rumsby and Frank McKeown scored for Stranraer). He made four appearances for Stranraer in 2015/16 and coincidentally his final appearance in a Stranraer shirt was also against Forfar at Stair Park. That game finished 0-0 and the home line-up that day was: McGurn, Pettigrew, Dick, Rumsby, Robertson, Keenan (Bell 36), Cairney (Longworth 77), McCluskey (McGuigan 61), Thomson, Malcolm, Nequecaur. Not used: Barron, McCloskey, A Trialist and Currie.
Admission
Admission in the Eco Gen Stadium at Stair Park is ‘pay at the gate’ only. Season tickets are valid for Tuesday night’s game.
Away fans can enter the ground from the away turnstile opposite the main stand. This turnstile is cash only.
The following pricing applies:
- Adult – £15
- Concession (over 65) – £10
- Youth (5 to 16) – £5
- Under 5 – FREE
Merchandise
All three 2024/25 Mizuno kits are back in stock and available from the merchandise hut outside the main McLeans Taxis Stand, along with training tops, clothing, scarves and club ties.
Cash and card payments are accepted and we will be open pre-match.
Pavilion Bar
Pop into the Pavilion Bar outside the away turnstile from 5pm for a pre-match refreshment with fellow fans.
Home, away and neutral supporters are warmly welcomed, and the bar accepts both cash and card.
If you’re heading into the town centre, stop off at the Stranraer FC Fitba’ Bar on North Strand Street which is also open to all.
Coverage
Supporters further afield can keep in touch with the action by following our live matchday updates on X (formerly Twitter).
The manager’s post-match reaction will be available on YouTube following the game.
Club 1870 subscribers get a first look at the goals late on Tuesday evening, along with full match footage on Wednesday evening.
Extended highlights will be available via YouTube on Wednesday afternoon, as club legend Allan Jenkins joins Gary Redhead in a reshuffled lineup on commentary.
Photos: Bill McCandlish
