Formartine United 3 - 3 Rothes 

League Match
Saturday, October 13th, 2018, 3:00 PM at North Lodge Park, Pitmedden
Attendance: 125
Referee: Alex Shepherd
Mascot: Noah Sim & Jay Wilson
Formartine United v Rothes, Oct 13th 2018, North Lodge Park, Pitmedden
Formartine United  Rothes

Goalscorers
Garry Wood (3)
Archie MacPhee (42)
Archie MacPhee (71)
Scott Davidson (43)
Steven Anderson (84)
Ashley Ballam (90)

Team Managers
Paul Lawson Unknown.

Starting Eleven
Kevin Main
Joe MacPherson
Jevan Anderson
Johnny Crawford
Stuart Smith
Stuart Anderson
Graeme Rodger
Andrew Greig
Aaron Norris
Archie MacPhee
Garry Wood
Cammy MacKay
Alisdair Stark
Dale Wood
Ashley Ballam
Jamie Duff
Jack Maley
Scott Davidson
Kris Duncan
Steven Anderson
Craig Cormack
Alisdair Sutherland

Bench
Ewen MacDonald
Gregor Whyte
Ryan Stott
Liam Burnett
Conor Gethins
Kieran Lawrence
Jamie Wilson
Iain MacLellan
Bruce Milne
Ewan Neil
Lee Alexander
Martin MacDonald
Robert Donaldson

Substitutions
Liam Burnett for Andrew Greig (69)
Ryan Stott for Garry Wood (78)
Kieran Lawrence for Aaron Norris (79)
Jamie Wilson for Alisdair Sutherland (65)

Bookings
Joe MacPherson (33)
Kieran Lawrence (81)
Alasdair Stark (70)
Jamie Duff (90)

Red Cards
Joe MacPherson (45)
None.
Appearances & Goals To Date
Kevin Main (GK) 22 apps -
Joe MacPherson 9 apps -
Jevan Anderson 49 apps1 goal
Johnny Crawford 109 apps6 goals
Stuart Smith 210 apps19 goals
Stuart Anderson 182 apps32 goals
Graeme Rodger 154 apps53 goals
Andrew Greig 34 apps12 goals
Aaron Norris 4 apps -
Archie MacPhee 58 apps41 goals
Garry Wood 113 apps59 goals
Ryan Stott (sub) 15 apps3 goals
Liam Burnett (sub) 53 apps7 goals
Kieran Lawrence (sub) 31 apps2 goals

Starting Lineup
Youngest Player:Joe MacPherson (18 years 43 days)
Oldest Player:Kevin Main (36 years 213 days)
Average Player Age:26 years 239 days
Domestic Players:11 (100.00 % of starting eleven)

Matchday Squad
Youngest Player:Gregor Whyte (17 years 178 days)
Oldest Player:Kevin Main (36 years 213 days)
Average Player Age:25 years 345 days
Domestic Players:16 (94.12 % of matchday squad)

First Team Debuts

Milestones

No two ways about it, this was a decidedly sub-standard performance by United who were more than a tad fortunate to depart Kynoch Park having trousered all three points in a game where they struggled for the better part of an hour after conceding a softish goal midway through the first period. For long enough it looked like they would take nothing from this but a late rally following the introduction of a pair of eager and hungry young subs, did enough to break some of the more experienced players out of their lethargy to deliver three goals in little more than ten minutes – enough to take the points in a game where the early pace had been set by the home side and United were trailing, one-paced and unimaginative for far too long to count themselves as a serious threat at this level of football. Any Highland League player who believes he should be playing at a higher level is deluded and not only that, becomes a liability more than an asset to his team mates, yet for this game a fair few of United's first team regulars did a very good job of persuading their followers that they thought that turning up to grace the side with their presence was sufficient in itself to ensure an easy enough victory. Too few seemed to have the heart for the battle that is needed against a team of decently organised journeyman pros who are prepared to battle hard for each other. To compound the issue, three of these, Cammy Keith, Marc Young and Max Berton had significant previous experience at North Lodge and looked like they might well have points to prove over the course of this game.

Either way, it led to a position where the home side started on the front foot and the visitors on the back. Within the first five minutes a move down the right flank by Keith, where Keir and Brownie initially released by a down the line ball by Hutcheon caused a bit of a flap at the back for United where apparent lack of communication between Jevan Anderson and MacPherson allowed the ball to be driven across the goal face in the direction of the advancing Keith. Keeper Main, alert to the danger diverted the ball to the safety of an unrewarded corner. However the back four missed the opportunity of doing the basic thing of deciding who would make a clearance and who would go with the runners. In the end there was a bit of a demarcation dispute that needed the keeper to settle it. Inevitably this encouraged the home side who soon had the balance of play in their favour and were making headway against an uncertain looking visiting rearguard. Berton and Keith were making some headway in the area between the half way line and the left corner of the United box and did enough to lure Macpherson forward enough to release space for themselves in and around the left corner of the United penalty area. One or two half chances followed but the final ball usually lacked enough conviction to cause any serious problems for United.

For their part United got the ball forward to Wood often enough but the area before and within the Keith box was heavily defended and he seldom got into a position to threaten. Rodger made a few threatening runs towards the home box but he too struggled against the weight of numbers deployed there. Norris, MacPhee and Wood didn't really seem to gel and United struggled to sustain pressure on the home defence. A high sliced ball by Stott right to left across the Keith goalmouth almost set up Greig at the back stick before Simpson went down to smother it.

The balance of play was tilting slightly towards Keith who had marginally more possession and adopted a higher tempo and more direct approach. Main was the busier keeper and dealt with a five yard toe-poke by Keith and an angled trundler from Smith as well as competently pulling down a couple of crosses.

Such pressure was enough for Keith to get their noses in front in the 21st minute. A throw in just shy of the left corner yielded a low cross to the area beyond the back post where both Smith and HUTCHEON attacked the ball. The latter produced the goods by forcing it home past Main at the base of the upright. United could hardly claim that it was against the run of play and for the remainder of the first half continued in their leaden way to move the ball around rather aimlessly and all but surrender the midfield battle to their hosts. They had one flash of real pressure though just before the half hour when a good old fashioned goalmouth stramash ended when a shot by S.Anderson about ten yards off the back post seemed to have been handled by Rae on the goal line if not in the goal itself.

All claims for goal and or penalty were flatly denied.

With the exception of that flurry, both Stuart Anderson and MacPhee simply looked like they expected more time on the ball than the eager beaver Keith side were prepared to give them. Neither seemed over keen to win back possession they had lost and the balance of play right up to the interval was held by Keith.

Something must have been done or said over the interval because from the start of the second half, the United tempo and attitude improved. From the get go they made concerted efforts to get onto the front foot. Greig was showing a bit more on the flanks and getting more cuttance than earlier from Hutcheon and Spink. One such foray left Rodger with a half chance from ten yards but the shot was weak and blocked easily enough by Simpson. Norris combined with him in the 48th minute and his back heel slipped past the base of the keeper's right upright. An angled drive by Greig rebounded off the junction of the right upright and cross bar and in 58th minute a 25 yard free kick from a bit right of centre was struck by MacPhee but rebounded from the cross bar to safety.

United were pressing but it was scrappy and Keith were doing well enough on the break to at least to protect their lead. There then followed in the 65th minute the move that won the game for United. In a three minute period Stott, Norris and MacPhee were replaced by Lawrence, Burnett and Gethins. It was said that Napoleon would occasionally shoot a general “pour encourager les autres” (to encourage the others). This was a bit like that and MacPhee certainly didn’t like it and in a show of incandescent petulance stormed straight up the tunnel. However it did the trick all of a sudden with the determined youngsters deployed, there was a bit more dig to United. The running was more determined and direct and in the 75th minute in a seige on the home goal with bodies in a tangle on the deck the ref saw enough illegality going on to ward a penalty that GREIG hammered home. The shot was central(ish) and Simpson got a paw to it, but the ball was struck so hard that it still reached the net. Two minutes later a break in to the box from the right by Gary WOOD gave United the lead when he cracked the ball past Simpson from 10 yards out and at a tightish angle.

Keith were now chasing a game they had looked like winning and that gave United the chance of a third. A long ball from the back by Anderson set up a three man break through the middle for Greig, Gethins and WOOD. Big Gary got his double with a direct run and poweful shot from 15 yards out that left Simpson with no chance.

In stoppage time, slack marking by United left KEITH unmarked near right corner of the box for a clear shot at goal which he despatched low into the far corner.

Match report by Colin Keenan



Photography by Ian Rennie

None.

Programme cover / Team sheet