The Irn Bru Cup got off to a fantastic start for Forfar Athletic this year with their first round tie at Livingston Colts being abandoned.
With Livingston leading 1-0 through Adam Watson, referee David Dickinson abandoned the game after 71 minutes after a power cut at the Tony Macaroni Arena prior to kick off meant visibility was very low in the second half.
Jim Weir made five changes for the tie as Gary Fraser, Andy Munro, Dylan Easton, John Kelly and Willie Muir came in, the suspended Marc McCallum and injured Dale Hilson among the absentees.
The game was very slow to get going and there was little to write about it the first half hour.
After quarter of an hour Forfar felt they had a penalty shout; Thomas Reilly’s cross finding Murray Mackintosh and as he headed over he looked to have been taken out by Livingston keeper Jordan Pettigrew but the referee awarded a goal kick.
The hosts’ Matthew Knox curled wide from the edge of the box in the 26th minute but three minutes later the Colts were ahead.
Winger Adam Watson ran at the Forfar defence before sending a low effort past Willie Muir from just outside the box to give Livingston the lead.
This seemed to waken the Loons up and they created chances of their own in the lead up to half time.
Dylan Easton and John Baird played a neat one two with each other and the former could only watch as his effort was tipped round the post by Pettigrew six minutes before the break.
Baird was next to have a go with a 25 hard effort creeping agonisingly over the bar while Gary Fraser blasted over from long range.
The players, staff, fans and almost everyone else inside the ground were astounded when the second half began; the light now fading fast inside the ground and it was beginning to get hard to tell who was who on the pitch from the stands.
Baird forced a save from Pettigrew in the 54th minute as the keeper pushed his strike onto the bar before Knox failed to find the target at the other end.
The hour mark came and Pettigrew denied Forfar again with a fingertip save from Easton.
Five minutes later Baird hit the sidenetting with players and the number on their shirts now unrecognisable from the stands, the striker standing out due to his bright boots.
The game still carried on with Baird firing over the bar before Connor Coupe replaced Thomas Reilly.
Just three minutes after Coupe came on and was looking to make an impact, the sensible decision to abandon the match was taken by David Dickinson after 71 minutes.
The game will be replayed from the start next Tuesday at the Tony Macaroni Arena with admission free of charge for the second attempt to conclude the game.
Jim Weir’s side will hope to improve ahead of the tie after a poor first half showing in which the Colts deservedly took the lead.
Livingston Colts: Pettigrew, Pignatiello, Clark, McMillan, Thomson, Jacobs, Blues, Rintoul, Hamilton, Knox, Watson
Subs not used: Kinvig, Forrest, Henderson, Vezza, Hay
Forfar Athletic: Muir, Meechan, Kelly, Munro, Travis, Reilly (Coupe 68), Bain, Mackintosh, Fraser, Baird, Easton
Subs not used: Whyte, Malone, Kennedy, Allan, Starkey
ramblingsofaloon.wordpress.com 