The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Loyal Loon Fotheringham given night to remember at Station Park
FORFAR ATHLETIC XI 1 DUNDEE XI 3
Loyal Loon Martyn Fotheringham was rewarded for a decade’s service with Forfar Athletic with a testimonial against a Dundee XI last night.
And fans turning out to pay tribute to Foxy were rewarded themselves with a highly entertaining match between Forfar and a Dundee side that saw all seven of their subs against Celtic at the weekend start the game.
Forfar’s own bench had a familiar – if somewhat dated – look to it as former team-mates Charlie King, Iain Campbell, Mark Baxter and Paul Watson took the chance to roll back the years and have a run out with the hugely popular midfielder.
Forfar had a good early chance when Marc Scott picked up from a strong Eoghan McCawl run and sent an inch perfect cross to the feet of Josh Peters but the striker sliced his contact away from goal.
Dundee should have taken the lead in the 17th minute. The ball was played out left to Faissal El Bakhtuoui in acres of space just inside the box but he curled his shot wide of the post.
The man-of-the-night forced Dark Blues keeper David Mitchell into a fine diving block from an equally impressive free kick just before a terrific piece of end to end play saw both sides go close.
Chances kept coming and Craig Wighton found himself bearing down on goal after 25 minutes only to be denied by the outstretched foot of Adam. Mitchell then pulled off an equally outstanding save minutes later to block a goal-bound Stuart Malcolm header on the goal line.
Dundee made the breakthrough in the 31st minute, Danny Williams drilling a low shot past Adam from 16 yards.
It was no surprise Forfar equalised four minutes later after some just as impressive cutting football. Kennedy and Peters combined to leave the latter through on Mitchell, who he calmly rounded and rolled the ball home via the far post.
Dundee took the lead a second time in the 50th minute. A brilliant run by El Bakhtaoui took him into the Forfar box and he finished sweetly at the near post.
Four minutes later the former Dunfermline man thumped home a brilliant drive from the 18 yard line after Forfar failed to clear.
That was the end of the goal action but the biggest applause of the night came three minutes from the end when Fotheringham – who signed in 2007 – was substituted to a standing ovation from the appreciative crowd.
“It was really good people turned out on a cold evening,” he said.
“I thought it was entertaining too for those that came along. I thought Dundee looked really sharp – it took me a few minutes to get my breath! But I thought we played some good stuff too.
“It was good that some of my mates could get a chance to play in the second half too. Some of them are maybe a wee bit out of shape but they enjoyed it! Everyone wants to play football with their mates so it was good to get one last chance to do that.”
Forfar Athletic XI: Adam (J King 46) MacKintosh (C King 76), Kennedy (McLaughlin 60), Malcolm (Bain 82), Munro (Campbell 46), Fotheringham (Devine 87), Gill, McCawl (Watson 60), Peters (Aitken 46), Malone (Baxter 76), Scott. Subs not used: Aitken
Dundee XI: Mitchell, Dryden, Williams, Gadzhalov (Smith 13), Smyth, Klok, Ross (Coupe 67), Higgins, El Bakhtaoui (Smith 60) Wighton, Quigley (Rice 46). Subs not used: Ferrie