Appearances & Goals To Date

Andy Reid (GK)		39 apps	-
Jamie Michie		21 apps	-
Johnny Crawford		37 apps	2 goals
Stuart Smith		111 apps	10 goals
Graeme Rodger		44 apps	12 goals
Paul Lawson		33 apps	10 goals
Derek Young		1 app (debut)	-
Scott Barbour		39 apps	17 goals
Neil Gauld		40 apps	25 goals
Conor Gethins		1 app (debut)	-
Garry Wood		42 apps	30 goals
Stuart Anderson (sub)		92 apps	21 goals
Neil McVitie (sub)		70 apps	14 goals

Starting Lineup

Matchday Squad

First Team Debuts

	Conor Gethins	(Signed June 1st, 2016)
	Derek Young	(Signed July 30th, 2016)

Milestones

Formartine were expected to win this and the anticipated result was not only achieved but, by and large, deserved. The pattern of the game was one of Formartine trying to impose their high tempo game on their hosts and Locos attempting by fair means and not infrequently, foul to hustle them out of their shape and tempo without doing an awful lot more than that.

Games between these two are seldom without controversy and must be a nightmare to referee. True to form this one opened with a bang and as much refereeing controversy as any sensation seeker could ever wish. United went straight on the attack but having reached the home 6 yard area found the ball humped back down the park creating a rapid back wash of United players. Laing was threatening to the left of the United area but Crawford did just enough to turn the ball away to the relative safety of a corner kick. This was taken by captain Maclean who hoisted the ball in tightly towards the junction of the back post and cross- bar. Keeper Reid pulled it down but was bundled, ball and all, into the net from a dunt in the back by full back JEFFREY. The whistle went immediately but ref Shepherd, instead of signalling, for what most if not all present assumed would be a free kick for a foul on the keeper, indicated a goal. His mother would be certain that it was a legitimate goal, but even “Jaffa” himself who had never been seen to blush during the 3 years he spent at Formartine acquired a rather ruddy hue as he toddled back up the park for the centre.

A first minute opener was certainly not in the Formartine game plan and unlikely to have featured in Locos’ either, but it set things fair for a period of high octane goal to goal football for most of the rest of the first half. Locos, buoyed by their good fortune, pressed forward trying to take the game to Formartine and for the next ten minutes or so gave at least as good as they got. However they lacked the penetration to force any significant saves from Reid – the best of their efforts during this phase was a flashing left to right drive across the goalmouth by Maclean that eluded the advancing Hunter by inches.

Formartine steadied their ship though and were soon calling the shots. The older heads of Lawson and Young were beginning to create openings for the front two of Gethins and Gauld , but the more direct tactics of running at defenders with ball at feet by Rodger were beginning to pin Locos back for increasing periods. Around the 15 minute mark they forced three corners in rapid succession and although none yielded a goal, each in its way produced enough mayem in the Locos rearguard to suggest that one was on its way.

This came in the 19th minute when Gauld, in pursuit of a through ball into the box was impeded by Adams. His jersey was tugged, although to be fair to the defender, it could almost have been argued that he was doing little more than feeling the texture of the striker’s fine new top with his fingertips. Referees, we are told, never try to compensate their mistakes by evening things up with soft penalties, so the offence must have been serious enough to justify the penalty that Paul LAWSON expertly buried in the left corner of the net. Keeper Mathieson got both hands to it but such was the pace the midfielder had put on the ball he still could not prevent its onward passage.

As the half continued United remained on top but were continually frustrated by persistent fouling from home defenders, particularly about thirty yards out from goal. This yielded the commensurate number of free kicks but these, while contributing to the overall pressure were insufficient to break the deadlock. There were chances around the half hour mark when 4 or 5 corners in as many minutes rocked but failed to breach the home defence. At the other end Reid did well to deny Hunter in the 37th minute with a strong save from a close range drive.

Locos started the second half on the offensive and tied Formartine back for a couple of minutes gaining a corner or two in the process. This was short-lived and Formartine were back in charge in the 49th minute when a Lawson corner initiated a phase of desperate defending in and around the home box. This pressure continued for three more minutes when Rodgers, attempting to break through into the danger area was bundled off the ball by Anderson a yard before entering the box.

BARBOUR took the free kick - and what a peach it was. With consummate precision, he delicately chipped the ball just beyond the range and reach of the 4 man wall and just inside the keeper’s far upright and into the net.

The one goal margin was all United needed and from that point on they were in fairly comfortable control. The extent of their domination was such that another goal or two would not have flattered their efforts but Locos without ever calling the shots worked hard enough to frustrate their local rivals. Some pettiness crept into proceedings but the game reached its conclusion with a full complement of players on each side. Formartine spent the last ten minutes or so in 4-5-1 mode simply holding their lead and Locos were able to break free enough to gain some more territorial advantage, but apart from a corner or two never really threatened as United continued to run down the clock.

Match report by Colin Keenan



Photography by Ian Rennie