Appearances & Goals To Date

Andy Reid (GK)		19 apps	-
Johnny Crawford		20 apps	1 goal
Calum Dingwall		50 apps	4 goals
Stuart Smith		87 apps	5 goals
Paul Lawson		19 apps	5 goals
Stuart Anderson		72 apps	15 goals
Jamie Masson		8 apps	1 goal
Graeme Rodger		20 apps	8 goals
Neil Gauld		16 apps	3 goals
Cammy Keith		85 apps	62 goals
Garry Wood		19 apps	12 goals
Jamie Michie (sub)		10 apps	-
Max Berton (sub)		6 apps	-
Scott Barbour (sub)		20 apps	6 goals

Starting Lineup

Matchday Squad

First Team Debuts

Milestones

The 19th century poet, John Keats described autumn as a “season of mists and mellow fruitfulness”. This midweek evening derby had more mist than was conducive for good football or much of a view of what was being played, yet, surprising in the circumstances, some quite mellow passages of play but as is the case with any goalless draw, no fruitfulness.

It was a game that had promised so much: strong contenders for a large part of last season, Turriff had been less convincing this year while Formartine in a rich vein of fine form were definitely minded to put one over on their old rivals from up the road. Three points at North Lodge would be enough to propel them to the top of the league too. The fruitless stalemate that emerged was probably the best possible result for rivals Cove and Brora.

On a night when the airport at Dyce was closed and traffic reduced to a crawl, referee Duncan decided that there was visibility enough to start the game and his call was in a way borne out by the fact that visibility certainly didn’t deteriorate and was arguably slightly better by the end of the game. Formartine made an adjustment to their front line with Keith and Gauld spearheading attack while Barbour dropped to the bench. In the continued absence of McKeown and McVitie, Wood and Dingwall again started in the back four.

The game began at a gallop and the overall pattern of most activity being conducted box to box was set. Players drifted in and out of the gloom but goalmouth incidents were few. Formartine as usual had pace and width and young Dingwall at right back showed his forward’s instincts with a number of forays down the stand side flank something that was well appreciated by fans for the simple reason that they could see him. One such run overlapping with Rodger yielded a chance for Cammy Keith about 15 yards out, but the striker rushed his finish and put the ball high and wide of target. A similar move a couple of minutes later in the 16th was an improvement: Dingwall’s curling cross deceived defenders enough for Gauld to get his head to the ball. The finish was crisply delivered but just a shade wide right of the keeper’s near post.

Possession was possibly just edged Formartine way and they looked like they had slightly more penetrative potential too but still, by and large, the box to box pattern predominated. Jamie Masson had a relatively free wide role and twenty odd minutes in, playing on the right got on the end of a slick set of passes between Dingwall and Rodger to flip over a curling cross cum shot towards the far top corner that had keeper Main back pedalling as the ball just struck the roof of the net. Turriff had pace on the break and once or twice went for the simple central route with a long hoof up the park from Allen, Herd or Bowden to McGowan. He had a bit of pace and the odd trick to him but seldom if ever got into a position to trouble Andy Reid in the home goal. Once, in the 31st minute, he managed to get over near the right edge of the box to clip a low pass to Gray but the striker from a good position near the other post, sliced the ball wide into a bank of mist.

Main had to look lively in getting down for a scorching low drive from Anderson that was well on target from about twenty yards out. As half time approached Formartine began, bit by bit, to squeeze Turra into their own territory. Lawson and Anderson were calling a few shots in midfield but movement off the ball was restricted by range of vision or lack of it imposed by the mist and long balls out wide were more of a lottery than would normally be the case.

The second half began with high tempo stuff from both sides as the struggle for dominance in the wake of half time exhortations ensued. Neither really got the better of the other but after around fifteen minutes had elapsed Formartine had some territorial advantage albeit Turriff were always quick to counter when possession came their way. In the 61st minute a long ball from the mists of defence was played up to McGowan and over Gray into space about 40 yards out. As the striker pursued it, keeper Reid was off in a flash, and beat him to the ball with an accomplished diving header that cleared the danger. Turriff had another wee flurry a minute later and again favouring route one got the ball this time to McAskill who let fly from a bit over twenty yards out. The ball was viciously struck but Reid got a firm two handed punch to it to divert it for an unrewarded corner.

The game continued at a brisk pace and Formartine in particular put some attractive passing movements together. Subs Barbour, Michie and Berton helped maintain the pace and with Formartine bursting a gut to get the goal that would give them the points to top the league came agonisingly close as Barbour having slipped his markers out left, whipped in a superb cross to Rodger whose header from eight yards out couldn’t have been more than an inch too high.

That was it – a result that Turriff celebrated like a victory but Formartine clearly reacting to thwarted ambition, responded to almost like a defeat. Despite the conditions, and they did act as a bit of a leveller, some remarkably good football was served up.

Match report by Colin Keenan

None.