Marc McCallum will have his dad watching him at Station Park for the first time in 525 days as Forfar face Edinburgh City on Saturday.
McCallum’s dad Phillip has travelled all over the country watching him at Dundee United, Peterhead, Berwick, Livingston and Plymouth.
But while he lives around the corner from Forfar’s ground, Phillip has missed out on his son’s exploits at his local club due to the Covid-19 restrictions – until now.
“My dad hasn’t been able to go to a game since the first lockdown,” said McCallum.
“Being stuck in the house watching me on a laptop isn’t the same.
Today is the day! Fans will return to Station Park for the first time in 483 days. Who’s excited?! pic.twitter.com/74hLjUbNug
— Forfar Athletic (@ForfarAthletic) June 26, 2021
“He’s been to so many of my games over the years to support me making it in football.
“He has travelled all over the country so we sometimes laugh about how my career has gone full circle.
“I grew up in Forfar and my dad lives just round the corner from the ground.
“He’s been denied the chance to see me play for over a year and half.
“He’s so excited to be back and I’m excited to have him back on Saturday.
“There will be so many other people like my dad.
“So many people live for their football on a Saturday. It’s has been taken away from them.
“As players we’ve been back and forward to games but it hasn’t been the same. Football really is nothing without fans.
“I’ve even missed the away fans. I’m quite happy to take some heckling for a while.
“The Annan fans were chanting and jeering when I went to take a goal kicks last week. That’s the kind of noise that I’ve missed.
“You miss the banter so I’m glad they can come back in greater numbers on Saturday to back us.”
McCallum believes the future is bright at Forfar
McCallum spoke positively about Forfar’s chances of bouncing back after their relegation to League Two was confirmed last year.
New player-boss Gary Irvine has made an impressive start to the new season after revamping the Forfar squad over the summer.
They narrowly missed out on a Premier Sports League Cup last 16 spot and got off to a winning start in League Two last week.
McCallum has had three clean sheets from four games and was a penalty hero for Forfar in their League Cup bonus point win over local rivals Montrose.
https://t.co/mS6KNAScV0 pic.twitter.com/9hqn3Q1Yn1
— Forfar Athletic (@ForfarAthletic) July 13, 2021
He added: “The manager has a really positive and professional approach.
“He wants everything to be done properly and has high standards for what he wants us to achieve.
“We’ve played well in all of the games so far – including the second half of the Dundee defeat.
“But will keep on going about our business quietly and see where we are in April or May.”
