Appearances & Goals To Date

Andy Shearer (GK)		36 apps	-
Craig McKeown		33 apps	8 goals
Craig Duguid		4 apps	-
Graham Hay		5 apps	-
Stephen Jeffrey		26 apps	-
Stuart Smith		33 apps	1 goal
Neil McVitie		28 apps	4 goals
Hamish Munro		30 apps	1 goal
Sam French		3 apps	5 goals
Paul Napier		24 apps	3 goals
Cammy Keith		34 apps	27 goals

Starting Lineup

Matchday Squad

First Team Debuts

Milestones

“Trois” is French for three but three for French was exactly what Formartine needed to underpin a victory where the margin of superiority was even greater than the scoreline suggested. Sam French seems to have the pace, strength and finishing ability to take Formartine to a level beyond their present one and provided the foundation for victory against the side that had run United’s arch rivals, Locos, very close the week before.

Of course there were deficiencies in United’s performance, but in very blustery conditions they by and large kept the ball down and moved it slickly around the wide park with a high tempo, close passing game. A statistical measure of their superiority in this can be seen in a corner count of 18 to 1 in the visitors’ favour. Their principal deficiency rested in the profligacy with which well worked scoring opportunities in good positions were squandered by criminally lax finishing shots. Callum Bagshaw (on after 25 minutes for the injured Duguid) was possibly the worst, but by no means the only offender in this respect and repeatedly worked himself into excellent scoring positions only to leather the ball left, right and above the target. In the dying minutes he did have the misfortune of seeing an outstandingly well struck 15 yard volley tipped round the corner by a superb save from keeper Martin, but what went before that suggested that he’d struggle to score in Tillydrone.

Formartine set out their stall in an attacking 3-5-2 formation and had pace out wide in the form of Napier and Duguid. It was pretty much one way traffic from the outset a break down the left with Stu Smith overlapping with Duguid ended with a driven ball by the latter being hacked off the goal line by McShane. The pressure continued until in the 6th minute, a fairly similar move was booted out of the area by McKernie only to find McKEOWN lurking just shy of the box. The team captain thumped a powerful waist high drive beyond the reach of Martin’s left hand and into the net.
This goal had little effect on the pattern of the game – Formartine maintained good rhythm and tempo and were calling the shots while a well organised home side kept decent enough shape but lacked the sharpness displayed by their visitors. A gusty, squally wind tended for this half to aid the home side albeit it made for unpredictability in determining the flight of the ball. This allowed Thistle the odd break into United territory (usually by McLeod) but they lacked the nous or patience to hold the ball long enough to develop sustained attacks.

Formartine were breaking down the flanks to great effect and with McVitie and Napier playing well off each other, a number of dangerous balls found their way close to the home goal. A move involving that pair and supplemented by Jeffrey saw the ball taken almost to the bye line before NAPIER about 5 yards in from it, but still at an acute angle to the goal squeezed a precise, hard angled drive beyond the keeper and in at the back post. The same player was also denied by an iffy looking off side call from a fairly similar position five minutes later.
Despite the pressure, Thistle maintained some shape to defend in depth enough to hold out until half time without conceding another goal.

The second period began with a wee flurry of goals. Napier was having a fair degree of success on the right flank giving McKernie and Groat, neither of whom could match his pace, an increasingly torrid time. He collected the ball just beyond the half way line and set off down the wing. Despite being jockeyed a bit wider than he would have wished, the wee man swung the ball across goal to FRENCH piling in from the inside left channel to head it ferociously netwards. The keeper got behind it to block but was unable to keep the ball and himself to the safe side of the goal line and although there was an attempt to smuggle the ball away the ref was having none of it and the 46th minute goal stood. Within seconds of the centre, Thistle grabbed a bit of consolation. Working the ball straight through the middle MacLEOD launched it hopefully goal wards but only at centre back Hay whose clearance, somewhat sliced and spinning furiously in the wind, came back to the forward who netted at the second time of asking.

Whatever comfort this gave Thistle, it was short lived as Formartine simply exploited their fruitful route down the right. Again Napier provided the ammunition for French. This time the ball was delivered from the inside right channel and perfectly into position for either Keith or big Sam to bang it home. Again it was FRENCH who delivered the final blow form a few yards out.

At 4-1 after 51 minutes, there was no way that Formartine were in danger of losing this: the real danger was of their taking their foot off the gas and starting to coast. It is difficult to determine whether Strathspey, well versed in damage limitation, were achieving the end of keeping Formartine at bay, whether there was a sense of the game as a contest being over or elements of both, but Formartine’s earlier pace and flare receded and although they still had by far the lion’s share of possession and kept their hosts pinned down, they didn’t seem to generate the same goal threat. A prodigious thump from 30 plus yards by Munro went close and Bagshaw spurned a fair few chances. Subs Madle and Dingwall replaced Napier and McVitie respectively but still Thistle clung grimly to their 3 goal deficit. A glancing Madle header from a Smith cross went inches over and Hay’s header from a Bagshaw corner wasn’t far away either.

Formartine looked slightly the fitter side and kept hammering away. With barely a minute left they reached five – nearer to their margin of overall superiority. A throw in on the left found FRENCH who out-muscled defenders to make himself space for a shot at goal about five yards in from the bye line and a bit shy of the left upright. With consummate timing and pin-point accuracy, he drove the ball beyond the diving Martin and into the far corner of the net.

This was Formartine’s best performance this season. They still lack the presence of playmaker Anderson to add fluency and perhaps the midfield bite of Clark who appeared on but not from the bench. With more composure in the finishing department they could be looking towards a fruitful season ahead but with Brora Locos, Fraserburgh and others firing on all cylinders, nothing winnable is going to come easily.

Match report by Colin Keenan