Rose boss happy to escape with a draw

"It's a point gained rather than two points lost," said Bonnyrigg boss Alan Miller. "It was a typical Super League game with two committed sides going all-out for a winner."

Results against the Angus side are never easy for Bonnyrigg. In the year Forfar were relegated, they won both their games against Bonnyrigg, so perhaps a share of the points was about right.

Miller added: "The first half had Forfar with all the pressure when they almost scored the opener in the first minute. That gave them a lift and it wasn't a surprise when they took the lead in the fifth minute. I thought the ball was meant for a cross but all credit to the player - it turned out to be a super goal.

"We struggled for a while after that loss and it wasn't until the second half that we found our feet."

Immediately after the kick off, Forfar played the ball deep into the Bonnyrigg box. Keeper Mike Burgess lost concentration for a second and had to react quickly to turn the ball away for a corner. They failed to capitalise on the corner but the pattern was set. Within five minutes they were ahead. Bonnyrigg's Kevin McLeish lost the ball in midfield. Forfar pushed forward and played it out wide right to Mark Pirie. He brushed aside his marker and from an acute angle blasted the ball past a startled Burgess.

Bonnyrigg held firm despite some shaky moments and went out for the second half kicking down the slope and in a much more confident mood. Chances started to fall their way and just before the hour mark they got a deserved, albeit lucky, equaliser.

Sean Palizca, who was constantly switching wings, cut inside from the left and had a shot at goal. It was blocked out to Kevin McLeish. His effort took a wicked deflection off Gibb and wrong-footed the keeper for a Bonnyrigg equaliser.

Bonnyrigg could smell a winner now and threw caution to the wind. It almost proved fatal on a couple of occasions when Forfar found space at the back but failed to capitalise on the chances. But Bonnyrigg were not to be denied a share of the points at least.

Davy Burrell and James Morrice were pushing hard from midfield and with the introduction of fresh legs in the shape of Sean Martin and Jamie Steele looked the more likely winners.

Burrell himself found himself in strange territory when he volleyed in a shot which the keeper stopped at full stretch at his near post.

Forfar were the side under pressure now. David Dunn and then sub Sean Martin had the keeper scrambling to clear the danger. Then, in a crazy last five minutes, Forfar had a couple of chances to steal all three points.

Brian Duell headed just wide after keeper Burgess missed a long hanging cross, then Pirie hit the underside of the bar with another angled drive.

A share of the points though was right, Forfar for their first-half work and Bonnyrigg for their second-half performance. A point for either side keeps both their title ambitions on track and closes the gap at the top of the table with leaders Linlithgow on cup duty.

Miller said: "The game was very well balanced today. It was a typical Super League game. A type of football you have to play week in week out. Scott Ritchie was missing at the heart of our defence but we shifted things around and the lads coped tremendously with almost everything Forfar threw at them.

"Forfar are a good side and we knew we had to have the set-up right and, although we didn't take all three points, we look on it as a point gained rather than two points dropped. There's still a long way to go in this league, though, and teams like Lochee and Bo'ness are still in the fight for the title."

Bonnyrigg: Burgess, Caine, Gray, Dunn, Bunyan, Morrice, Grady, Burrell, McAllum, McLeish, Palizca. Subs: Reid, Moffat, Martin, Steele.

Forfar: Vanderdeyl, Logan, Syme, Miller, Gibb, Anderson, Pirie, McKenzie, Duell, Garrick, Watson. Subs: Holden, McDonald, Mann, McCaw, McConnachie, Black.

Bonnyrigg Rose 1

Forfar West End 1