Appearances & Goals To Date

Kevin Main (GK)		53 apps	-
Michael Clark		5 apps	-
Craig McKeown		124 apps	19 goals
Stuart Anderson		207 apps	34 goals
Wayne Mackintosh		52 apps	6 goals
Liam Strachan		5 apps	-
Scott Lisle		5 apps	3 goals
Conor Gethins		114 apps	44 goals
Gary McGowan		10 apps	5 goals
Kieran Lawrence		64 apps	2 goals
Jordan Leydon		8 apps	1 goal
Stuart Smith (sub)		241 apps	23 goals
Graeme Rodger (sub)		189 apps	65 goals
Garry Wood (sub)		146 apps	72 goals

Starting Lineup

Matchday Squad

First Team Debuts

Milestones

This has to rank as one of United's most significant victories since joining the Highland League just over a decade ago. Yes, they have won a number of trophies in that period but an away win against a League 1 side that was promoted there on the strength of winning League 2 in the previous season puts this victory right up there with their all time best performances. The achievement in itself was impressive and the manner in which it was achieved arguably more so.

United reached round three of the Tunnock’s Carmel Wafer Challenge Cup after a very hard fought battle where they matched their higher league opponents every step of the way for the regulation 90 minutes before recovering from an opening penalty blip in the shoot out before going on to foil the home side when talismanic keeper Main saved Eadie's spot kick to put United through to the next round.

United started as if they meant serious business and showed no signs of being daunted by the occasion. Many of them will have warm memories of their last appearance at Balmoor when they won the Aberdeenshire Cup with a 1-0 victory against Cove at what must now seem a happy hunting ground. Peterhead were the first to show when McAllister got through on goal after being played in by a Willox feed but McKeown hit the forward hard and fair to dispossess him in the nick of time. Armour broke through in the inside left channel before Mackintosh thwarted further progress. United were giving as good as they got and almost out of nothing, Gethins swivelled to release a thirty yarder to bring Fleming into action.

Lyle was proving a handful and after a powerful run down the left, fired a fierce low drive that skidded past Fleming's left post. Nip and tuck but United were looking marginally the more dangerous side and Fleming, with saves to make from Leyden, McGowan and almost inevitably Lisle, was the busier keeper. Leyden and McGowan were combining well and in the 42nd minute their pace and trickery left Hooper and Norris floundering before the keeper worked hard to stop McGowan's shot. Just as the first half was ending a hopeful but wildly wide Fraser effort was insufficient to exercise Main.

United had shaded the first half but the rearranged home side, using up their allowance of subs in the process, battled back to increase their share of midfield possession after the interval and their efforts began to work but not enough to really test Main. Brown, Steven and McAllister all managed shots none of which came near to troubling the keeper. McKeown and Mackintosh neutralised the threat of McAllister to such an extent that he was reduced to long range efforts struck with more hope than expectation and in the 65th minute Stevenson in pursuit of the nippy Lawrence pulled up with a hamstring problem and was withdrawn. Reduced to ten men Peterhead were confined to the back foot and United again began to threaten. The home side made one decent chance but Main denied Leitch from close in. Wood and Rodger replaced Leyden and McGowan and although United won a few frees around the twenty range they didn't do enough to trouble the keeper before the game went to penalties.

Fleming got a leg to Clark's penalty and United trailed until Main saved Fraser's effort. They traded goal for goal for the next four although Main got close to three of them. Strachan sunk United's 7th leaving Eadie to face Main. The keeper was down right in a flash to save the pen, win the tie and put United through.

Match report by Colin Kennan



Photography by Ian Rennie