November 20, 2020
Forfar Athletic vs Airdrieonians
Thomas Robert grabbed his first Airdrie goal against Livingston last weekend, and the midfield star hopes to keep hitting the net as the Diamonds get back to League One business with a trip to Forfar on Saturday.
Frenchman Robert joined Airdrie from Montpellier in July amid a flurry of media interest, and the son of former Newcastle ace Laurent is relishing his fledgling career at the Penny Cars Stadium - despite the weather.
“I’m very much enjoying playing with Airdrie, it’s a great team to be part of.
“It’s very cold, but it’s a dream playing in Scotland so I appreciate every day that I’m in training and even more so with the games.”
Following a gradual introduction to Scottish football, Robert has started the Diamonds’ last three matches, and grabbed his first senior goal with a wonderful strike in last weekend’s Betfred Cup match at Livingston.
Booked for removing his shirt in celebration, the 20-year-old explained that he got somewhat carried away by his achievement.
“It was a happy moment! I’ve always wanted to score in professional football, so it was really a dream come true.
“Everybody was laughing when I took off my shirt, but it was a great moment and I hope there are many more goals to come!”
Airdrie fans will be hoping that the feat can be repeated when the Diamonds travel to Angus this weekend as the League One action resumes with a match against Forfar Athletic.
Before breaking for the Betfred group matches, Airdrie slammed five past Clyde to return to winning ways, and Robert wants to see a similar performance at Station Park.
“We’ve all been waiting for this game to come because we need to prove that we can keep playing like we did against Clyde.
“We need to win, so the whole team has to be at our best again to take the three points.”
And while Forfar may not have been in his thoughts as he began his football career in the south of France, Thomas is typically enthusiastic about the journey north.
“I always look forward to playing against another new team. It’s going to be a tough game like every other week in this country.
“We’ll go there and do our maximum and I’m confident that we can take care of the three points.”
Manager Ian Murray wants his side to pick up where they left off in League One following the impressive 5-0 victory over Clyde.
“Forfar haven’t had a brilliant start, so we’ll be trying to add to that but they’ll be going all out to get their first win of the season.
“It’s very important that we go up there and play well if we’re to pick up the points, and if we do that we’ll see where we are in the table going into the Cove game.
“We’re looking forward to it, we’re delighted to be back on league duty and hopefully we can follow that 5-0 victory up with another win.”
The Diamonds boss confirmed that defender Harlain Mbayo has joined striker Ally Roy on the injured list ahead of the match.
The live stream of the match is now available for purchase from FATV, priced at £12. Forfar also have a troubleshooting page for anyone experiencing issues with their streaming platform.
VS
Saturday November 21, 2020
3:00pm
Station Park, Forfar
Referee
Grant Irvine
Assistants
Michael Banks, Blair Fraser