Formartine United 0 - 0 Brora Rangers 

League Match
Saturday, March 2nd, 2019, 3:00 PM at North Lodge Park, Pitmedden
Attendance: 229
Referee: Dan McFarlane
Formartine United v Brora Rangers, Mar 2nd 2019, North Lodge Park, Pitmedden
Formartine United  Brora Rangers

Goalscorers
None. None.

Team Managers
Paul Lawson Steven MacKay

Starting Eleven
Kevin Main
Jevan Anderson
Craig McKeown
Johnny Crawford
Stuart Smith
Andrew Greig
Graeme Rodger
Aaron Norris
Kieran Lawrence
Archie MacPhee
Garry Wood
Joe Malin
James Ross
Ally MacDonald
Colin Williamson
Neil MacDonald
Gavin Morrison
Dale Gillespie
Martin MacLean
Kyle MacLeod
Paul Brindle
Steven MacKay

Bench
Ewen MacDonald
Joe MacPherson
Stuart Anderson
Ryan Stott
Wayne Mackintosh
Liam Burnett
Conor Gethins
Alexander Sutherland
Niall Docherty
Craig Campbell
John Pickles
Scott Davidson
Danny McCarthy

Substitutions
Ryan Stott for Aaron Norris (43)
Wayne Mackintosh for Kieran Lawrence (68)
Conor Gethins for Andrew Greig (81)
Alexander Sutherland for Steven MacKay (63)
Scott Davidson for Kyle MacLeod (77)
Craig Campbell for Martin MacLean (82)

Bookings
Kieran Lawrence (57)
Andrew Greig (60)
Johnny Crawford (85)
Gavin Morrison (61)

Red Cards
None. None.
Appearances & Goals To Date
Kevin Main (GK) 42 apps -
Jevan Anderson 69 apps3 goals
Craig McKeown 110 apps19 goals
Johnny Crawford 125 apps7 goals
Stuart Smith 229 apps22 goals
Andrew Greig 55 apps21 goals
Graeme Rodger 176 apps61 goals
Aaron Norris 24 apps2 goals
Kieran Lawrence 51 apps2 goals
Archie MacPhee 80 apps58 goals
Garry Wood 134 apps68 goals
Ryan Stott (sub) 27 apps8 goals
Wayne Mackintosh (sub) 42 apps6 goals
Conor Gethins (sub) 100 apps39 goals

Starting Lineup
Youngest Player:Jevan Anderson (19 years 3 days)
Oldest Player:Kevin Main (36 years 353 days)
Average Player Age:27 years 183 days
Domestic Players:11 (100.00 % of starting eleven)

Matchday Squad
Youngest Player:Joe MacPherson (18 years 183 days)
Oldest Player:Kevin Main (36 years 353 days)
Average Player Age:27 years 185 days
Domestic Players:17 (94.44 % of matchday squad)

First Team Debuts

Milestones
Conor Gethins played his 100th major competitive game for the Club.

No doubt about it: this was match of the day in the Highland League. Brora started it two points ahead of reigning champions, Cove Rangers who had two games in hand over them and finished with no cushion other than the hope that Cove would drop points in the “games in hand”. For United it was much more about the pride and status that comes with taking the scalps of big wigs. The loss of 4 points (to Cove in midweek and to Brora here) means realistically that this season's league campaign will be focussed on a place in the top four.

However there still remains the intriguing prospect of their first ever “double”. They have just collected the Morrison Motors Aberdeenshire Shield and are chugging along nicely in the Breedon Aggregates Highland League Cup. However what lies between them and the final of that trophy is another encounter with Brora Rangers at Dudgeon Park on the 16th of March. United are unbeaten by Brora this season and have a reasonable basis for some confidence about the outcome. They are also of course the holders of that cup.

This game was in a way a litmus test for the cup tie and showed if nothing else how close those two sides are to each other. Goalless though this game was, it was still a rattling good game of football. Closely contested throughout, Formartine probably shaded the first forty five when they had some slight wind advantage playing towards the village end whereas Brora under the same circumstances, but with the wind strengthening at their backs for second period threatened a bit more than they initially had.

United began this one with captain Stuart Anderson still confined to the subs' bench struggling to regain full match fitness after the injury that has sidelined him for the last month. With that exception the starting eleven was what most would regard as the manager's first pick. The tempo with which they started was formidable. From the start Greig was out to show his former team mates who was boss and began a succession of fast, tricky runs down the left flank and within a minute he was on the end of a through ball from MacPhee and nipped between the two defenders to release it to Wood who immediately let fly with an angled drive from the left corner of the box. However the massed ranks of Brora defenders were able to block its progress. The ball rebounded into the path of MacPhee who also tried a pop from the edge of the box but it, too failed to penetrate the Brora backline.

It was clear that United strategy was to try and hit them hard and early and MacPhee picking up a ball from the back by Crawford and waltzed it down the right flank until turning in left for the corner of the box he lost just enough momentum for MacDonald to get a boot to the ball and avert the danger.

In the 11th minute Greig and Norris swapped passes before the latter got in in a shot that had more accuracy than pace and was gathered by Malin. A minute later a free kick for Brora about 25 yards out was hammered goalwards by Williamson. The ferocious shot whizzed inches past Main's left upright drawing gasps from the crowd as it flew by.

However most of the early impetus was with Formartine and they managed a couple of spells of sustained pressure, largely on, but sometimes in the visitors penalty area. One attack where Wood found Greig with crafty back heel came close to yielding a goal when the winger played in Norris whose ball left to right across the box was just beyond Wood's reach and fractionally too early to meet the run of MacPhee. Close but no cigar.

Shortly later Gillespie blocked a clipped shot by Greig from the left side of the area. In the 27th minute Smith advancing down the left flank set up MacPhee who unloaded a ferocious left foot cannonball that flew inches wide of Malin’s left stick. The Brora defence is notoriously mean and their goal difference tally of 78 is as much a result of giving little away at the back as on high scoring up top. United had few clear cut chances but did well to craft the half chances they managed and sensibly tried their luck from just outside the area when they could.

Brora's best chance of the half came in the 38th minute when Brindle snuck into the box and tried to nick the ball across to MacLeod who was making a move to the far post. Garry Wood read the danger and lumped the ball away for a corner. Immediately before half time, Norris was fouled about 22 yards out and a touch right of centre. He looked set to take the free kick himself but just before doing so limped off to be replaced by Stott. MacPhee then took the kick but his shot was blocked in the box.

The second half began with Brora trying what Formartine had done in the first. Their pace and work rate was impressive but no more than the capacity of the home defence to manage them. The defence that kept Cove at bay for 90 minutes in midweek was doing exactly the same to Brora. McKeown was organiser in chief and instrumental in maintaining shape and discipline. Jevan Anderson is growing in stature and experience and gave hee haw away. For all that Brora would run at them, they managed to ensure very little penetration beyond the 18 yard line. Consequently Brora were reduced mostly to shots from 20 or more yards out. One by Brindle in the 74th minute from a couple of yards short and right of the box whizzed and dipped it's way inches past Mains left upright and a couple of minutes later, following a corner on the right both Crawford and Brindle were down on the deck before Main grabbed the ball. This was probably Brora's best spell in the game but it didn't do enough to force any weakness in the home defence.

Most of the action was in midfield and the battle between the two number 6's Lawrence of United and Morrison of Brora did get a bit fiesty at times – not so much dirty as fiery really. They both were booked in the latter part of the second half.

As the game entered its final ten minutes or so both sides pushed for a goal and committed more and more bodies to the quest. It made for more end to end to stuff but as neither defence displayed the slightest weakness, the score line remained implacably blank. Back to back goalless draws at home is not really what you'd expect of Formartine but once you realise who contested them, you will appreciate just how tight the top end of this league is.

Match report by Colin Keenan



Photography by Ian Rennie

None.

Programme cover / Team sheet