Appearances & Goals To Date

Kevin Main (GK)		36 apps	-
Jevan Anderson		63 apps	3 goals
Craig McKeown		104 apps	19 goals
Johnny Crawford		121 apps	7 goals
Stuart Anderson		196 apps	33 goals
Graeme Rodger		170 apps	60 goals
Archie MacPhee		74 apps	55 goals
Aaron Norris		20 apps	2 goals
Scott Ferries		64 apps	9 goals
Kieran Lawrence		46 apps	2 goals
Garry Wood		128 apps	65 goals
Andrew Greig (sub)		49 apps	20 goals
Liam Burnett (sub)		68 apps	8 goals

Starting Lineup

Matchday Squad

First Team Debuts

Milestones

The evidence of the level of threat Formartine now pose to well regarded teams in this league can be seen that Wick and Forres both elected to handle the threat of the visiting United team by investing more in damage limitation and attempting to thwart them by stuffing the midfield rather than attempting any sustained efforts to attack and force them onto the back foot. The result each time was that United won by the only goal of the game in matches where open attacking football was seldom seen and play was punctuated by a litany of petty (and sometimes not so petty) fouls.

That's the downside; but there are positives to be taken from the fact that this was United's tenth league win in a row and that they have shown the grit and determination to battle their way to victory in often rather trying circumstances.

Formartine started this one at breakneck pace and immediately had the home side back pedalling furiously as they flooded forward into Mechanics' territory and within a minute showed their teeth. A break down the left by Ferries, supported inside by Rodger and MacPhee drew a foul – the first of many - by MacPherson around 35 yards out but fairly central. Stuart Anderson struck it curling and dipping into the danger area about ten yards or so off the back stick. Garry Wood was onto it and had the ball in the net past the left hand of Stuart Knight in a flash. Visitors' joy was short lived as the stand side linesman had flagged for off side – a decision that most United players and followers considered mistaken. Disappointed but undaunted United continued to press and even this early it was clear that the United front pair of Wood and MacPhee were set for a bruising afternoon from the attentions of Johnstone, MacPherson and Fraser. However the fact that at this stage Forres were playing a more open sort of 4-4-2 like the visitors meant that there was some open play and the United passing game was in evidence. In the 5th minute Ferries slipped a wee feed left to right to MacPhee at the edge of the box, but the resulting shot was a bit scuffed and trundled past the left post. Formartine were building up a fair head of steam and a foray down the right flank by Crawford enabled the defender to set up MacPhee with a fairly decent chance from twenty yards out but the finish flew past the right stick.

Formartine were taking the game aggressively to the cans and it didn't look like they were going to have much difficulty getting their noses in front nor that it would take them long to do so. United pressure was quite sustained and after a concentrated squeeze at the front left corner of the Forres box, Rodger and Norris between them prised enough space out of the big home defenders to slip the ball a couple of yards inside to Wood whose piledriver was parried by the keeper but such was the pace on the ball Knight could do nothing to prevent the rebound going to the eager MACPHEE who leathered the ball home past the keeper's outstretched left hand in the 7th minute.

That was a bit of a turning point in the pattern of the game which fairly quickly shifted from being an open and attacking affair into a dour midfield struggle. Forres left Soane alone up front with little more than Johnstone, MacPherson and Fraser at the back and the rest in midfield. And as far as stifling attacking flair from United was concerned, it more or less did the trick. It could be argued that Formartine allowed themselves to get sucked in but the obvious way to cope with a midfield as crowded as the Haudagain roundabout before the by pass opened is to play longer balls from the back up to the forwards and that by and large is what United did, but it was lean pickings for the front pair. Stretching it wide was another potential solution but quite early on, the designated wide player, Ferries, picked up a hip injury which blunted his threat enough for him to have to be replaced at the interval, by Greig.

Despite this United, could or should have gone in at the interval two ahead when just on the stroke of half time they managed one trademark flowing attack. Spreading the ball wide to each flank and back they made ground behind the home midfield and spread their defence in the process. With Wood, Norris and MacPhee in on the act Rodger from left of centre in the Forres box seemed to have the keeper beaten only to see his carefully placed shot rebound from the inside edge of the right upright before being booted into the crowd by Fraser as the ref blew for half time.

With Greig on for Ferries, Formartine had the option of going wide in the second 45 at least partially restored, but it was still pretty crowded in the middle and play was stuttering. Greig showed his threat in flashes but subject to a bit of a mauling at times by Moore got drawn down into the general melee in the middle of the park. For all that United by and large had the better of possession, the problem was they were restricted in the space to do anything much with it when they had it and more worryingly with only a single goal of a buffer, one mistake could cost two points. That almost came when Moore managed to get away from McKeown and headed directly towards goal from twenty yards out one on one with the advancing Main closing him down rapidly, his shot went over the top.

From time to time Forres managed to cause some flutters of anxiety in United ranks but most of whatever threat they mustered was by advancing a fair number of players near to edge of the United box where a bit of a melee would ensue. By the hour mark referee Munro discerned something amiss in the midst of a clump of about 5 players and awarded a free kick to Forres about 25 yards out. The outcome was a superb dive left by Main to push the ball round the post for a corner after a fizzing low shot by Soane.

That was as near as it got to an upset and as the clock ran down United looked increasingly in control of events. The game almost boiled over after a trip followed by an apparent stamp by Moore on Stuart Anderson. It looked like the midfielder thought the United captain had gone down too easily and should have accepted the foul without question. Ando was wronged, complained and viciously kicked in the back for doing so. Formartine protests yielded nothing more than a yellow card for Anderson for complaining. This was despite the fact that the incident took place no more than a few feet away from stand side linesman who seemed to pretend that he'd seen hee haw or that nothing untoward had taken place.

Three points are never easily gained from the Can Cans and Formartine are nowshowing an impressive toughness in grinding out wins in difficult circumstances.

Match report by Colin Keenan



Photography by Ian Rennie