After a dull opening, two David Hamilton goals looked to have them on easy street. His first, a 26th minute shot, was a good ending to a fine passing move which was carved out by Michael Moore and Stevie Nicholas. Seven minutes later the midfielders headed effort was judged to have crossed the Forfar goal-line following a Paul McMullan corner. That was Hamilton's 9th goal of the season.
But Forfar were allowed to come back into this game and Michele Lombardi reduced the deficit with a well struck rising shot in the 37th minute after he pounced on a great defence-splitting pass from Paul Tosh.
Two minutes before the break, referee Colin Hardy somehow managed to conjure a spot-kick from Will Snowdon's brush against Lombardi. Justice was done when home keeper Scott Black dived to block Tosh's penalty.
But Tosh had the last laugh when, seconds later, he raced past a dozing home defence and rifled a shot past Black from the edge of the home box.
Stranraer came out fighting after the break and when Moore diverted McMullan's cross past Forfar keeper Sean Murdoch in the 56th minute the points were staying at home.
Indeed the Blues ought to have had a 90th minute penalty, but Hardy, suddenly more lenient, waved play on after Nicholas had been sent tumbling in the box by Craig Lumsden.
The referee showed 6 yellow cards in a match, whilst untidy, never looked like getting out of hand.