Inverurie Loco Works 2 - 4 Formartine United

League Match
Saturday, August 11th, 2018, 3:00 PM at Harlaw Park, Inverurie
Attendance: 300
Referee: Liam Duncan
Inverurie Loco Works v Formartine United, Aug 11th 2018, Harlaw Park, Inverurie
Inverurie Loco Works Formartine United 

Goalscorers
Neil Gauld (pen) (21)
Chris Angus (70)
Andrew Greig (18)
Graeme Rodger (28)
Archie MacPhee (47)
Stuart Smith (84)

Team Managers
Neil Cooper Paul Lawson

Starting Eleven
Andy Reid
Connor Rennie
Greg Mitchell
Stuart Duff
Mark Souter
Ryan Broadhurst
Colin Charlesworth
Joe McCabe
Neil Gauld
Chris Angus
Jordan Leydon
Ewen MacDonald
Craig McKeown
Johnny Crawford
Stuart Smith
Stuart Anderson
Graeme Rodger
Andrew Greig
Ryan Stott
Archie MacPhee
Gary Fraser
Garry Wood

Bench
Chris Herd
Daniel Crisp
Thomas Reid
Andrew Watt
Jordan Cooper
Morgan Cook
Jevan Anderson
Joe MacPherson
Gregor Whyte
Trialist Trialist 1
Liam Burnett
Conor Gethins

Substitutions
Daniel Crisp for Charles Charlesworth (75) Liam Burnett for Gary Fraser (76)

Bookings
Chris Angus (52)
Stuart Duff (90)
Craig McKeown (40)
Johnny Crawford (51)

Red Cards
None. None.

Appearances & Goals To Date
Ewen MacDonald (GK) 57 apps -
Craig McKeown 95 apps19 goals
Johnny Crawford 100 apps5 goals
Stuart Smith 198 apps19 goals
Stuart Anderson 171 apps32 goals
Graeme Rodger 142 apps49 goals
Andrew Greig 22 apps9 goals
Ryan Stott 4 apps3 goals
Archie MacPhee 47 apps35 goals
Gary Fraser 4 apps2 goals
Garry Wood 106 apps53 goals
Liam Burnett (sub) 46 apps7 goals

Starting Lineup
Youngest Player:Ewen MacDonald (22 years 166 days)
Oldest Player:Craig McKeown (33 years 156 days)
Average Player Age:28 years 243 days
Domestic Players:11 (100.00 % of starting eleven)

Matchday Squad
Youngest Player:Gregor Whyte (17 years 115 days)
Oldest Player:Trialist Trialist 1 (2020 years 14 days)
Average Player Age:26 years 202 days
Domestic Players:16 (94.12 % of matchday squad)

First Team Debuts

Milestones
Johnny Crawford played his 100th major competitive game for the Club.

Every victory tastes sweet but some are sweeter than others. For Formartine they don't come much sweeter than those over the Locos particularly when they are gained at Harlaw Park. The fact that this was Formartine's 20th straight win on the spin was icing on the cake. It also means that in each of the 4 games they have played this season to date they have scored 4 goals and that is the sort of form that potential champions need to deliver. However champions are meaner defensively than United appear at times to be and excellent though this result was, the fact that there was a point in the second part of the second half when they were clinging rather grimly to a 3-2 lead in the face of sustained pressure from Locos. O.K. they rode the pressure, pinched another goal, and finished pretty well in command, but it looked for a wee while that a draw was on the cards.

Spectators can't really determine whether these lapses that United have shown from time to time are simply a result of the opposition having a good spell or whether the collective United foot has been taken of the metaphorical pedal, but some suspicion of the latter emerges at times. A combination of both is probably a valid explanation.

This was the first of a double header (the teams meet again on Tuesday on Scottish League Challenge Cup Duty) and Locos were quickly out the blocks. In less than a minute they had got the ball down the right side and threatening to get it into the United penalty area as the combination of McCabe and Charlesworth forced United defenders into action. Wood stood firm blocking their progress before McKeown dispossessed McCabe, slipped the ball to Anderson who immediately began a counter attack down United's left feeding Greig who scorched past midfield attempts to thwart his progress, slipped in between Rennie and Souter before thumping in a crisp low drive that Reid took fairly comfortable low to his right.

This was enough to expose some Locos frailty: they were struggling even then like they did for most of the game to shackle the pace and guile of Greig who gave full back Rennie quite a roasting. Such was the threat that the wide man posed that they started early on to double up the marking on him by adding Charlesworth to pair with Rennie to try to contain him. That had but limited effect and “Chubs” continued to torment both simultaneously. In the 5th minute he managed another fierce drive that needed two attempts by keeper Reid to hold.

The pace was unsustainably fast and the game, like so many of these Derbies, had a definite Cup Tie end to end flavour to it. In the 6th minute, Gauld was set up by Leyden in a position about 5 yards out and one on one with keeper MacDonald. His finish was sluggish and insipid and he tamely poked the ball into the keeper's arms. Over the next 10 minutes United's superiority gradually began to show as they managed to push a higher defensive line far enough up the park to squeeze play increasingly into Locos territory. Greig continued to torment on the left flank and delivered a succession of testing crosses into the home box. United forced three corners over the next ten minutes and although each caused some problems in the home goal area, the goal itself remained intact until the 18st minute.

Almost inevitably it was GREIG who produced the goods. The ball had been worked around the fringes of the home penalty area with MacPhee controlling events – pushing and probing, playing a few one twos with Stott, Rodger and Fraser before getting the space to slide the ball cutely left and forward to meet a late run by Greig to a point left of the penalty spot from which he skelped a ferocious drive that was past Reid and into the net in a flash.

This was the start United sought but they were unable to develop from it before Locos were right back in it. Within two minutes of the restart, they had levelled. A break down the inside right channel by Charlesworth was tracked by Wood but as the Locos man turned left trying to break into the box from the side, the defender's tackle was a tad clumsy - a bit late a wee bit rearward and only a foot into the area - but enough for the penalty to be given. GAULD took it, driving the ball right as the keeper went left.

The scoreline was level but as the pace dropped from breakneck to merely brisk, Formartine showed better shape and began to exert control. They again squeezed the game for periods into opposition territory and had the lion's share of possession. Rodger was beginning to feature increasingly in the middle and Fraser was covering a huge amount of ground playing just behind and often around MacPhee who was beginning to dictate things round the Locos box. This was the stage of the game where the better skill/organisation level of United was beginning to take its toll on the hard working but less slick home side and as they tired in trying to keep up, United laid the foundations of their victory. In the 27th minute and a sustained period of pressure in the final third at the Locos end, RODGER with a lateish burst through into the penalty area just left of centre picked up a misplaced clearance by Souter and rattled the ball home from about 15 yards out.

The screw was turning and United really should have the game dead and buried ten minutes later when they were awarded a penalty. The pressure was being sustained with the kind of intensity that will force errors and the first came from Locos when Stott, trying to break into the box at the right corner, was tripped from behind by Souter. Fraser took the penalty but it rebounded from the bar and was booted clear. A big let off for Locos and a costly mistake for United who although still dominant didn't look the same kind of force again until after the interval.

They got to three one quickly after the resumption. Greig was still wreaking havoc on the left flank and having taken Rennie and Charlesworth for a wee tour of the area around the left corner flag wrong footed both simultaneously, jinked between them while they were facing the wrong way and whipped the ball over to the back stick where MACPHEE made a perfectly timed leap to head the ball powerfully home in the 48th minute.

That was United well in control and apparently on the way to victory. Problem was it looked like some of them allowed that thought to cross their minds and the tempo dipped. That was enough to allow the balance of play to start bit by bit to slide Locos way. United played the ball about cleverly and looked like they would simply kill pace and tempo, take the heat out of the game and run down the clock for 40 odd minutes. That is a dangerous, potentially fatal, ploy in a game when bragging rights are at stake to the extent that they are in these Derbies. Locos by dint of effort more than craft came more and more into it simply by showing greater appetite for scraps and making use of what they got. It took them until the 72nd minute to find their reward but it had looked on the cards for some time before. After a period of pressure on United's rear they managed to crowd them out of being able pass their way out of trouble and as one pass out to the Locos left was intercepted by Broadhurst and slipped on to ANGUS the blond striker thumped the ball home from 15 yards out.

There then ensued a rather crazy end to end period where Locos had a level of hope and United realised that the game was far from over.

The breakneck pace returned immediately and a furious end to end battle ensued. Sadly for Locos, Formartine won that phase too and after a break down the park with United piling forward in numbers a right stramash ensued in the Locos goalmouth. The ball was smashed goalwards and hacked off the line and with at least ten players in as many square metres, left back SMITH was the one who found the gap through which to deliver the ball over the line and into the net. That was 4-2 and with only 4 minutes left the game was finally won. Locos realised it, their heads went down and United eventually ran out comfortable winners.

Match report by Colin Keenan



Photography by Ian Rennie