By Jim Davie

MONTROSE DEFENDER Craig Forsyth is relishing every minute of third division football.

The youngster was plucked on loan from Dundee’s under-19 side and pitched straight into a play-off battle with the Gable Endies.

Saturday may have seen them drop a place in the table but a creditable draw with runaway champions East Fife away from home is not to be sniffed at.

“It’s much better than youth team football,” said Forsyth. “There’s something to play for, we’re still going for the play-offs and it’s good experience as well.

“I think playing for Montrose has already improved my game and hopefully I can push on from here.”

And certainly the full back didn’t look out of place in such company. He was strong at the back and prepared to foray upfield when needed.

With the sides lying first and second in the division and after both posting 3-0 wins last week, a 0-0 draw was the last thing on the minds of the fans who attended New Bayview in decent numbers.

Montrose accorded the Fifers a guard of honour as they took the field but once the pleasantries were over the Gable Endies made sure the champions knew they were in a game.

It was the Angus side’s keeper Mark Peat who made the first significant contribution of the day with a save from East Fife striker Craig O’Reilly, who had been put through by Bobby Linn.

Kevin Fotheringham then hit a strike from 25 yards which Peat, with some help from the woodwork, managed to turn away.

On the half hour mark Montrose had a chance to take the lead but John Baird’s effort was blocked by former Arbroath keeper Craig Wight.

If the home side had the better of the first half it was the visitors who edged the second.

A Stephen Black shot was saved by Wight for a corner and when Keith Gibson sent the ball into the box Steven Tweed was adjudged to have handled by referee Eddie Smith.

Baird stepped up to take it but Wight guessed correctly and dived to his left to hold the shot.

Well, ‘guessed’ isn’t quite accurate.

Wight knew where the ball was going because he had been tipped off beforehand.

He explained, “Our goalie coach, Westie (David Westwood), said that he’d seen their player take five penalties and they’d all gone to that side, so we did our homework and I think at any level you’ve got to do that so it gives you that little bit of an edge.”

Overall, the game was a bit flat, though conditions didn’t help, and Montrose would have been reasonably happy at travelling back to Angus with a point in the bag.

“We were probably more defensive in the first half but second half we went for it more,” added Forsyth.

“We had a few chances and obviously the penalty miss was disappointing.

“Normally John would tuck them away but he was saying he changed his mind about where to put it for some strange reason, but we can’t blame him.”

Links Park boss Jim Weir said, “The first half was about being in the battle and the biggest battle was the conditions with the wind again.

“We limited them to a few chances and maybe had a couple of half chances ourselves which we could have done better with, but in the second half we finished on the front foot and I think we had three or four opportunities to get a goal.

“But if you’d offered me a point before the game coming down here with them as champions I probably would have accepted it.

“I didn’t feel there was a big difference between us and them earlier in the season when we managed to get three points at home.

“The biggest difference, probably in terms of the two squads, is certainly experience.

“I’ve got a young squad. Two weeks ago, I had two 19-year-olds scoring two goals for me.

“They say you win nothing with youngsters but what I get from them is terrific commitment and effort week in week out and it’s no surprise we’re still in there fighting at the business end.

“It’s been a long time since this club’s done that so all credit to the boys in there.”

His opposite number Dave Baikie commented, “The outcome was predictable.

“As much as you try to motivate players, with the title in the bag it was always going to be difficult.

“I thought we played in third gear most of the first half but we were still by far the better side.”