Reporter: Jim Davie

Lochee United 3 Forfar West End 0

Despite the convincing-looking final scoreline Lochee were made to work hard for victory against a stuffy Forfar side.

The home team could have been home and dry by half time but it took a couple of late goals to make sure the points stayed at Thomson Park.

Bluebells keeper Josh Gorton was looking for his third successive shutout and had to be sharp to deny former Lochee player Mike McIlravey in the fifth minute.

The Thomson Park side opened the scoring on 10 minutes when Danny MILLAR rose highest to head home a Danny Cavanagh corner kick.

West End’s Callum Walls was injured leading up to the goal and it took a whole five minutes before the visitors introduced their substitute, Ryan Cruickshank.

Abdourahman Njie looked lively for the visitors and was giving the Lochee backline a difficult time but it was at the other end where Millar almost doubled the lead with a header that came back off the bar.

Gary Thain in the visiting goal pulled off a double save from Bryan Deasley and Grant Lawson as Lochee piled on the pressure and Scott Webster had an amazing mazy run before being dispossessed.

Scott McComiskie missed the best chance of the half when Deasley and Cavanagh combined to put the ball on his head from six yards out only for the top scorer to head over the bar.

A Steven McNally thunderbolt was brilliantly saved by Thain as Lochee tried in vain to get that vital second goal and they almost paid for it when Njie had the ball in the net only to be pulled up for offside.

Right on the half time whistle there was a fright for the home side as McIlravey’s free kick just drifted wide of Gorton’s left hand post.

Forfar started the second half more brightly but were almost undone when Thain slipped as he went for David Rae’s passback. Deasley nipped in but the keeper and defender combined to keep the ball out of the net.

It was Gorton’s turn to be worried when he raced out of his box to head clear but the ball only went as far as Gary Hart whose 30-yard shot went just wide of the unguarded goal.

Rae had a great chance to equalise for the visitors on the hour mark but he shot wide of the target when it looked easier to score.

Surprisingly, Forfar took off livewire striker Njie on 65 minutes. He’d been a thorn in the Lochee side and it was very sporting of opposing striker McComiskie to congratulate him as he left the field.

On 70 minutes Lochee were poised to increase their lead when Deasley played in McComiskie, but left back Zak Wilson put in a tremendous goal-saving tackle.

However, the goal was only delayed another five minutes when McComiskie found Logan Davie out on the right. The midfielder’s ball to CAVANAGH was lashed into the West End net from the edge of the box.

With a minute to go of normal time Deasley was pulled down inside the box by Rae and McCOMISKIE drove the penalty kick into the bottom left corner of the net to put a gloss on the final scoreline.

Lochee United: Gorton, McNally, Millar, Kirk, Webster, Cavanagh, Cameron, Davie (Gallagher 75), Lawson, McComiskie, Deasley.

Forfar WE: Thain, Weir, Wilson, Webster, Rae, C Walls (Cruickshank 15), Gillespie, McMahon, Njie (A Walls 65}, Hart, McIlravey (Yule 85).