Forfar make pre-season friendly plans

Gary Irvine has been putting plans in place to get his Forfar Athletic side in top shape ahead of the new League Two season kicking off.

Forfar came agonisingly close to making an immediate return to the third tier at the end of last season, being beaten in the play-offs after finishing runners-up in the league.

They’ll aim to go one better when the new competitive league season starts and, to help them do that, the manager has lined up a couple of friendly matches against higher ranked teams.

Irvine will welcome his players back for training on June 18 at a location in Fife ahead of the first friendly game on Tuesday, June 28 against Dunfermline Athletic.

James McPake’s Pars are also aiming to enjoy a promotion charge next season.

Station Park is currently undergoing work on its surface but this is said to be going well and on-schedule.

The club said this week: “By a strange coincidence, the Pars also christened the old 3G surface back in July of 2012, although on this occasion it was a Challenge Cup tie.”

Forfar will then continue their pre-season schedule on July 2 when they again face League One opposition in Alloa Athletic.

Brian Rice’s side will also fancy their chances of a promotion push and that match kicks-off at the Indodrill Stadium in Clackmannanshire at 2pm.

There then comes something of a unique friendly when, on Wednesday, July 6 the club welcomes the Washington Huskies.

The Huskies are the football team of the University of Washington, based in Seattle in Washington State.

The club added: “One of the top varsity football sides in the USA, the Huskies are embarking on a five-game two week tour of Scotland in late June.

"They compete in the Pac-12 Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and they must certainly be happy with their head coach Jamie Clark who is in his ninth year in charge and has just had his contract extended to 2027.

"This will be their second trip to foreign fields in recent times having represented the USA in an international varsity tournament in Brazil in 2018.”

The club add that further details of all fixtures already announced, along with admission arrangements, will be advised shortly.

Forfar also say that manager Irvine may add another game to the schedule ahead of the competitive campaign kicking-off against Queen’s Park away from home on July 12.