Forfar found their form again against Stranraer with a fine performance at Station Park.
But they came away with only a point after conceding an equaliser from the final kick of the ball.
The Loons looked a far better side in their first home match since parting company with manager Gary Bollan, but paid the price for not putting the game beyond the visitors as Danny Stoney’s 91st-minute goal cancelled out Josh Peters’ third minute opener.
That one lapse left caretaker manager Stuart Balmer frustrated and gutted for his charges.
He said: “We picked them off at times but the disappointing thing is we did not get the second goal.
“I thought our commitment, organisation and the system worked really well. But it is still a real sickener.
“We will need to regroup and whoever takes things forward, I have just said, we need to stick together on the park.
“I am pleased with the effort; there was a big difference today. But the second goal was crucial.”
Forfar looked set to put their recent woes behind them with that early lead through Peters, who broke his duck for the season with a neat finish from just inside the box after the ball broke to him from a Scott McBride centre.
Scott Agnew was denied a leveller when keeper Marc McCallum got down well to block a snap-shot on the half-hour mark.
Forfar were well in control in the second half and David Cox was twice denied by good blocks by keeper Cameron Belford.
The visitors spurned a glorious chance to equalise when Kyle Turner forced McCallum into a good block from a long-range drive. The keeper couldn’t hold on to the ball and Stephen Okoh somehow blasted over the crossbar from four yards.
A minute into stoppage time and with the last kick of the game, Stoney rescued a point for Stranraer as he collected a cross from Morgan Neill and finished neatly to leave Forfar stunned.