Forfar lost important ground in the League One title chase as they went down to the leaders in a match Loons boss Dick Campbell believed should have been postponed.
The visitors never fully recovered from the loss of two goals in a four-minute spell before the break at blustery Stair Park and, while Campbell emphasised there is still a lot of football to be played, he knows that victory could have put his side in the driving seat; as opposed to the third place they now occupy.
“First of all, I didn’t think the game should have been played I wouldn’t send a dog out in weather like that,” he said after strong winds sweeping in off the Irish Sea made for some tricky moments for both sides.
However, he knew his Forfar team had ultimately been beaten by a better side on the day.
“Stranraer applied themselves much better all credit to them, they just handled the conditions far better than we did.
“But we also made several mistakes. I’ve got six of the biggest boys in this league so how we lose high balls into the box I don’t know.”
The in-form Blues’ first goal came 11 minutes before the break when Willie Gibson broke down the left and slid the ball through to Craig Malcolm, who cut into the box and bent his shot round Rab Douglas.
Worse followed for the Loons four minutes later when Stephen Bell unleashed a shot from 25 yards that rebounded from a post only to hit the unfortunate keeper’s head and drop into the net.
Forfar looked like a different side after the break and gave themselves a fighting chance almost immediately when Dale Hilson halved the deficit.
The visitors continued to have the bulk of the pressure but Stranraer regained control midway through the half and restored the two-goal cushion when Craig Malcolm pounced to poke the ball home.
Two minutes from the end, Gavin Malin again cut the deficit to one but the league leaders demonstrated that attack can be the best form of defence, surging forward from the restart to wrap up the points with a goal from Jackson Longridge.