Author: David Smith

McGreskin departs for Mexico

Forfar Farmington Football Club would like to announce that Head Coach Kevin McGreskin has departed the club to take on a new venture in Mexico.

McGreskin arrived initially as an assistant before taking the Head Coach role in January 2021, embedding young players like Beth Mowatt, Charlotte Taylor, Alix Saddler, Zoe Bruce & Rachel Neave into an adult football environment.

Kevin steadied the ship when necessary, despite a troubling year for the club with COVID-19 and senior players departing from the club midway through the season, always conducting his business professionally despite all the stumbling blocks that came his way.

We wish Kevin every success in his future career and would like to thank him for his service and the passion he has shown for our Club. Further announcements on his replacement will be made in due course.

Mowatt: We did well despite defeat

Beth Mowatt made her 1st full start this season for Forfar Farmington having forced competition with Lauren Perry & Annalisa McCann respectively. 

An injury to Perry on Wednesday evening meant an appearance for Mowatt against a very good opponent in Rangers who didn’t danger the Forfar backline much in the opening half a nour before Daina Bourma put the visitors a goal in front unmarked at the back post. 

Mowatt spoke about the game by saying, “It was really good from us all on Wednesday, everyone put in a good performance in what was a tough shift for us all.

“We competed for the ball a lot more & worked really well together despite the fact that we have a young squad.

“Having experienced players in the squad like Donna Paterson, Nicola Davidson & Alana Bruce helps develop young players like myself and we really enjoy working with these players. 

“They are really good both on & off the pitch and help the confidence in the young players, if we can play like we did tonight then we’ll give Celtic & Hibs a good game and that’s our plan.”

Forfar Farmington leading the way during COVID-19 pandemic

Wednesday evening saw success for Forfar Farmington despite the 2-1 defeat to Hearts.

With Scottish Government restrictions now in Level 2, Scottish football clubs are able to welcome fans again with 250 the maximum amount for spectators at the moment. 

Only residents in Glasgow City & Moray are prohibited for the time being to physically being in grounds due to both areas still in Level 3 restrictions. 

Off the park during this COVID-19 pandemic, Forfar Farmington have led the way.  Back in October, the club put on a live stream for friendlies against Dundee United & Aberdeen respectively before the season commenced at home to Motherwell, the first club in Scottish Women’s Football circles to introduce live streaming for women’s football followers. 

This was then followed by the introduction of fans on Wednesday evening for the match at home to Hearts with a good attendance of die-hard Forfar supporters back to their beloved Station Park alongside some ground hoppers who witnessed their 1st physical game in over 400 days.   

With much smaller resources compared to other sides in the league, we can always rely on volunteers to pull the stops out and Forfar Farmington Football Club would like to thank the spectators who attended on Wednesday alongside the volunteers who have helped the club throughout this tough time. 

Forfar Farmington Chairperson Nicola McBride said, “We were delighted to get the green light to welcome fans back, it means a lot to the club and especially the players on the pitch.  Although there are many restrictions to follow we are grateful to the support we have from our own committee members and club covid offiers.  It was important to us to get fans in as soon as we could therefore made sure we had the necessary processes in place to make this happen.  Delighted that we had no issues during the match.  Thanks to all those who came along to support us last night.”

 

Summer Christie arrives on loan

Forfar Farmington have added to their squad ahead of a busy run-in of games with Summer Christie arriving at Forfar until the end of the season from Celtic.

Christie is a midfielder and played a full game in last night’s 1-0 defeat to Motherwell with a trialist appearance in the 2nd half against Hibernian on Sunday.

The midfielder is looking at the move to Farmington to play in a competitive environment with the abundance of talent that there is in the SWPL1, “I am looking to get some minutes here at Forfar & it’s a great opportunity for me.

“We play against some of the top teams in the league including Rangers & Glasgow City and it’s a real challenge for me & the team, it’s a good team and a good set-up here at Forfar.

“Kevin has been great with me since I’ve came into the door, hopefully this move benefits both Forfar & Celtic.

On the game last night against Motherwell, Christie said, “It was a disappointing defeat for the Girls but I enjoyed it out there.

“Donna Paterson in particular has been great with me since I have came in at Farmington, she keeps me right and is an experienced player in this league.

“I’m really glad to get the challenge here at Forfar and we have some challenging games coming up, I am travelling up continuously from Larbert but this is a great opportunity and playing games is what I want to be doing.”

Taylor hoping to build on Prem debut

Charlotte Taylor came in for her Forfar Farmington Premier Team debut last weekend in that 3-2 win away to Motherwell. 

As featured last night, Taylor alongside Alix Saddler, Zoe Bruce, Rachel Neave & Beth Mowatt have all been involved in the 1st team picture of late which speaks volumes of the work that gets done with the youth development programme at the club. 

Taylor spoke about the experience last week in Lanarkshire saying, “I thought it went well last week against Motherwell & the team got a good win, I came on for Charlotte Gammie and tried to kill the game out. 

“Kevin McGreskin said to do my best before I came on and to give 100% to the team, it was a good experience playing against top quality players, I also played against Rangers who are a very good side. 

“Playing in the SWPL1 is different standards but you need to try & put in your best at all times. 

“Coming into the Prem Team from the Under 19s is a step-up but I am enjoying the experience, there’s a massive difference in quality and the game time you get you have to make the most of it.

“We will have an intense run of games coming up and we have a young squad so the experiences are only going to grow. “

Charlotte paid tribute to Ian McDiarmid, one of the youth development coaches at the club for her development through the pathway at Farmington with Taylor adding. 

“Ian is the one that pushed me forward and started to give me more opportunities when Ryan McConville was manager here, Ian, alongside some of the more experienced players at the club have told me to stay positive and to be confident in yourself. 

“Glasgow City have a quality side with quality players and hopefully we can give a good account of ourselves on the TV.”

White praises the youth ethos at the club

Leah White is a player & coach known by many around FClub circles & the left back certainly knows her way around the youth corridor into the Premier Team at Forfar Farmington. 

White came through the youth system at the club before joining the Prem Team tasting success back in 2017 winning the SWPL2 title. 

The left back has struggled with game time of late & was happy to be given the chance last week by head coach Kevin McGreskin, she looks ahead to tomorrow’s televised game with Glasgow City by saying. 

“It’s going to be a hard game but we’re up for it and have been training hard, if we can get something then it would be great, hopefully we can build on her performance. 

“Glasgow City are good & pacy with the ball and are always dangerous, we will focus on ourselves though and we are looking to make a good account of ourselves. 

“Kevin has been brilliant with myself & the players, he fits in great with the team and is a great coach, he demands standards from players. 

“I struggled for game time last season, and I was happy to get a start with the resumption of competitive football last week, hopefully I can build on this and help the team out as much as I can. 

“There is a family ethos about this club and we are like a family, I know everyone says it but it really is, we get on well together. When we are enjoying good moments like we did last week & being successful then it’s always positive. 

Charlotte Taylor, Alix Saddler, Rachel Neave & Zoe Bruce were in the squad last week for the 3-2 victory over Motherwell with White dedicating last week’s victory to the work that gets done behind the scenes to the youth development programme at the club. 

White added, “The junior set-up at the club is good, it’s great when players come into the Prem Team and also stick around with the club for a very long time which has been proven in the past. 

“Players like Alix, Rachel, Zoe, Charlotte & Beth Mowatt (GK) have been through the youth development pathway before making the step-up to the Prem Team. 

“Young players look up to players like myself when we are taking sessions, with more media coverage and attention towards the women’s game, it will only help the pathway moving forward.

“The message to the young players is stick in & work hard, you don’t always get to play 90 minutes but opportunities will come when you get them, you just have to believe in yourself.”

McGreskin gets off to a great start!

Forfar Farmington returned to action with a 3-2 win over Motherwell, springing the game into light after a goalless 1st half. A winning start to the Kevin McGreskin era.

Motherwell started proceedings with the more clear cut opportunities which posed Lauren Perry into action with Claire Adams finding Callaghan but her low drive was well dealt with by the Northern Irish goalkeeper.

Abby Skelton then found Kaela McDonald-Nguah who flashed an effort across goal with captain Nicola Davidson performing heroics at the right time blocking any path towards goal.

Forfar got into the game as the half progressed & Cheryl Kilcoyne was always positive on the ball looking to pose an intent on defenders, she got on the end of a London Pollard pass before her shot just fell wide.

Forfar took the lead on 48 minutes with Cassie Cowper sending a great corner from the right which was met by the unmarked Lisa Ryan who guided home for her 1st goal in Forfar colours making no mistake finishing well, Ryan had to play in both full back areas after London Pollard picked up a knock which led to a positive & versatile afternoon.

The lead only lasted a few minutes with Motherwell levelling. After a stramash in the box, the ball was cleared up to Callaghan who dipped an effort beyond the stranded Perry to level matters for Well.

Farmington re-took the lead with a Cassie Cowper long range strike flying into the net beyond Khym Ramsay to move back into the lead & have something to build on. Head Coach Kevin McGreskin has implemented a new system across the midfield with Cowper & Paterson linking up well together.

Davidson & Kirsty Fraser partnered up well at the back & the latter almost got on the scoresheet after the ball was initially cleared into Frasers path but she shot over the bar.

Alana Bruce got a deserved 3rd goal for Forfar to round things off, the Farmington stalwart punished a lack of concentration at the back, finding herself goalside from Chelsie Watson before finishing well past Ramsay.

Motherwell pulled one back from Jordan McLintock to produce a nail biting end to this contest but it was another big win for Forfar Farmington & with results elsewhere, it means Forfar go into 5th.

Plenty of positives, alongside the win, the back four were instrumental in the success with Paterson & Cowper linking up well, Cheryl Kilcoyne, Erin Rennie & London Pollard were all creative but done the battling work as well trying to advance attacks immediately.

Charlotte Gammie grafted until the late substitution despite being on the end of a challenge in the 1st half. Charlotte Taylor came on in the latter stages of the match & chased & hustled every ball giving a tired Motherwell backline issues. Tougher opposition next week in Glasgow City to come but back with a bang!

Motherwell v Forfar Farmington: 04/04/2021 – Erin Rennie Preview

Forfar Farmington travel to Lanarkshire today to face Motherwell and are keen to get back to the resumption of SWPL1 football with a win to reignite life back in normality during these unprecented times. 

Erin Rennie was a Farmington recruit back in October & enjoyed a consistent run of games prior to the suspension of football back in January. 

Rennie says the players can’t wait to get onto the pitch in a competitive scale when she said, “The players can’t wait to get back and we are going to be up against good opposition this afternoon, the suspension was frustrating for all of us but we’ve all came back fit & ready for today. 

“Motherwell is a team that we should be getting points off, they are around us in the table & we need to pick points up against teams around us. 

“Training has been good, Kev has been good with us & he plays a good system of football, it’s all about the team but also what we can do individually. 

“The last few weeks has allowed me to focus on improving my game, we want to get as much points as possible, Kevin’s formation allows me to play in the number 10 position which is my favoured position. 

“There is an understanding within the team that we need to help London & Donna on the goals front, we need to take more chances, I want to add more goals to my game and it’s a big target for me.”

Motherwell v Forfar Farmington preview | 04/04/2021

Forfar Farmington Head Coach Kevin McGreskin is delighted to be back out onto the pitch on a competitive basis after a 4 month hiatus out of competition. 

Farmington head to Lanarkshire to face Motherwell tomorrow with the news fresh in the memory with Eddie Wolecki Black resigning in midweek. 

McGreskin looked ahead to the game tomorrow by saying, “We are all looking ahead to this game tomorrow after a long time off, the players are equally as excited and all they want to do is play games. 

“They now have an impetus in terms of training & they are preparing towards something now, socially it’s important as well in terms of having a laugh & getting that team spirit, it’s been great having Zoom but it’s not the same as being there physically. 

“The people behind the scenes have been great & worked incredibly hard, the amount of work they do is normally unseen, the club have put everything in place to prepare us for tomorrow. 

“A lot of work goes into the testing protocol and the financial implications that it represents.

“It’s going to be a hard game against Motherwell who are one position below us in the table, it’s a competitive league within our circle of teams, Glasgow City, Rangers & Celtic are the top 3 and everyone is looking to compete with them. 

“We got the rub of the green the last time against Motherwell & the game could have headed in a different direction, the new coaches will have extra motivation now to make sure there’s a good performance on the field. 

“Me & Ryan worked closely together & I enjoyed working with Ryan, there’s a slight difference here or there but there’s a continuity here and I reinforce the same messages to players in training.” 

CLUB STATEMENT | FORFAR FARMINGTON FOOTBALL CLUB

Forfar Farmington Football Club would like to announce that Head Coach Ryan McConville has stepped down from his role after 13 months in charge.

McConville arrived at the club in December 2019 & got his tenure off to a great start with wins over Kilmarnock & Motherwell before lockdown came last March, since the commencement of the season in October, Forfar have amassed 7 points including a 2-2 draw away to Celtic before Christmas.

Progress has been made under the tutelage of McConville both on & off the park. Forfar Farmington Football Club would like to thank Ryan for all his hard work & dedication to the job in the last 13 months. Ryan leaves the club on good terms & we wish him every success in the future.

Assistant Coach Kevin McGreskin has agreed to take on the reins in the meantime & we wish Kevin every success.