Reporter: Jim Davie

Forfar West End 0 Lochee United 2

Forfar West End and Lochee United usually serve up close encounters and this one was no exception, though the visitors had the upper hand in terms of possession and chances on goal.

It was a miserable afternoon at Strathmore Park weather-wise and neither side was able to create much in front of goal in the first half.

The first opportunity went to Lochee when Bryan Deasley pinged a great pass with the outside of his boot to Alan Tulleth whose shot warmed the hands of keeper Gary Thain.

Forfar replied with an Andy Walls shot easily gathered by Jordan Millar.

Tulleth was proving the Bluebells most promising outlet and he fired in a dangerous cross across the face of the home goal. The winger then had a free kick deflected round the post for a corner.

However, it was West End who came closest to opening the scoring when Callum Petrie’s shot came crashing back off Millar’s bar.

Grant Lawson then had a header palmed away by the home keeper as the half fizzled out.

Lochee attacked down the slope in the second half and got their noses in front on 52 minutes. A corner on the left was cleared only as far as Greg KIRK on the edge of the box and the Lochee skipper fired home.

Tulleth’s strong running down either wing was causing problems for the Forfar defence and he set up Deasley and Reece Ritchie with chances to increase Lochee’s lead.

Another great cross from Tulleth almost found the head of Deasley just a few yards out, but the striker just couldn’t reach the ball.

The home side came into the game for a spell and gave Millar in goal a few moments of concern, none more so than when Davie Rae crashed a shot off his left hand post with just six minutes left.

That served as a warning to Lochee that they needed a second goal to put the game to bed and they got it just minutes later.

A Lawson cross found the head of Kevin BUCHAN, who had only just come on as a sub, and he netted past a helpless Thain.

Another sub, Logan Davie, almost made it three when he was picked out by Kevin Milne, but his shot was blocked by the home defence.

Although Lochee spent most of the game in the opposition half, there were times when West End put their defence under pressure, but Garry Kenneth and his back four restricted the home side to scraps.

Forfar WE: Thain, Weir, Cruickshank, Rae, George, Timmons, Walls (McMahon 68), Godfrey, Petrie (Batchelor 63), McIlravey (Fullerton 46), Wilson.

Lochee Utd: Millar, McNally, Kirk, Kenneth, Blair, Tulleth (Cavanagh 78), Gallacher, Lawson, Ritchie (Davie 71), Milne, Deasley (Buchan 85).