Appearances & Goals To Date

Errol Watson (GK)		4 apps	-
Stephen Jeffrey		34 apps	1 goal
Calum Dingwall		25 apps	2 goals
Craig Duguid		17 apps	1 goal
Stuart Smith		51 apps	1 goal
Graham Hay		23 apps	4 goals
Stuart Anderson		36 apps	7 goals
Callum Bagshaw		44 apps	5 goals
Hamish Munro		47 apps	2 goals
Stuart McKay		50 apps	17 goals
Paul Napier		40 apps	4 goals

Starting Lineup

Matchday Squad

First Team Debuts

Milestones

Formartine faced an uphill task in taking on Cove in the first game after the final decision to abandon Allan Park to the developers’ bulldozers and move to Nigg had been taken. The severity of the incline from the Formartine position, was significantly raised by the absence of in –form striker Madle (suspended for an indiscretion while playing for Huntly in the same competition last year) along with the injured McVitie and Clark, both midfield ball winners. In the end, the lack of robust challenge made by any and all of these three to the home midfield was enough to expose the Formartine rearguard to unsustainable levels of pressure and despite scoring two goals away from home they shipped more than twice as many to go tumbling out of the Aberdeenshire Shield, their last realistic prospect of silverware for the season.

Cove started vigorously enough to put Formartine on the back foot from the off. Scully was the first to threaten the visitors when in the 5th minute he played in Nicol whose header, from no more than six yards out, slid just past the post and he showed serious intent again when his swerving corner kick had Jeffrey scrambling to clear. Cove were calling almost all the shots for the first fifteen and Formartine were forced into a counter-punching role. However in the 17th minute they made a nippy break, spearheaded by Napier, whose firm drive was blocked away to the lurking MUNRO who, fully twenty five yards out barely broke stride before he leathered a ferocious, unstoppable drive into the far corner of the net. It was the start that Formartine needed but they were utterly unable to protect their advantage which was not only surrendered but reversed within the space of five minutes flat.

In the 20th minute Nicol played in MacALLISTER who was fortunate to get a slight wee touching header on the ball, just enough to nudge it beyond Watson’s reach and into the net. Two minutes later, former Formartine favourite Dan Park set up SCULLY inside the box for a powerful finish from 15 yards out.

That was enough to put Cove in charge of ensuring their progression in the Morrison Motors sponsored trophy. Of course, Formartine fought but ultimately they lacked the midfield weapons with which to turn things around. At that point, it was clear that Cove had more in there than had their visitors.

For Formartine, Anderson and Bagshaw never faded and did their bit to get the ball beyond their opposite numbers and didn’t do badly at that apart from Baggie’s tendency to keep taking on opponents one to one until he found himself funnelled into the cul de sac from where a successful pass is impossible to deliver.

Diminutive Allan Park incites end to end games and this was no exception. Before half time, the game continued in Cove’s favour but with Formartine chasing it vigorously. Bagshaw, with the heart of a lion, pursued everything that came within range and delivered a couple of decent shots, one of which slid just wide left.

However the Scully/MacAllister axis at the other end was the more threatening and threatened twice before two a decent save by Watson and a block by Jeffrey kept the Formartine goal intact until in the 35th, Scully out on the left and with a fair hint of hand ball to boot, [again] finds McALLISTER who manages to extricate the ball from between his feet and put Cove 3-1 up.

That lasted until the interval – whereafter, you might assume, Formartinewith the game still to win, might have turned things around. Sadly, seriously and significantly not. The second half started with Cove delivering a quick fire crucifiction of United. In the 46th minute Redford found NICOL who simply leathered the ball past Watson. Formartine were now in deep doo doo and before they had completed their contemplation thereof, found themselves in an utterly irretrievable position when Cove piling forward gain a free as Anderson’s block on Lawrie yields the free kick that is delivered precisely to McALLISTER to head home from 10 yards or so away.

To their credit, Formartine never gave up. They kept on in their pitching but lacking the capacity to defend and ball win further up the park, they were always chasing it – sometimes – to be frank – chasing shadows. Persistence has its rewards and Bagshaw was rewarded for same when he pulled it back to 5-2 with a decent finish to a well worked goal initiated by a slick interchange between McKay and Anderson that set up the midfielder, who with a bit to do made space to deliver a hard accurate finish.

Nae dispute, 5-2 was about right for that game. Sadly it says that Formartine look like being more like a top 5 team than serious contenders for one of the top two places. However they are now clear of cup commitments and can [and must] focus seriously on League games.

Match report by Colin Keenan