Appearances & Goals To Date

Ewen MacDonald (GK)		30 apps	-
Scott Henry		22 apps	1 goal
Jevan Anderson		3 apps	-
Calum Dingwall		115 apps	8 goals
Stuart Smith		155 apps	12 goals
Stuart Anderson		137 apps	27 goals
Wayne Mackintosh		3 apps	-
Graeme Rodger		94 apps	26 goals
Scott Barbour		88 apps	35 goals
Archie MacPhee		3 apps	5 goals
Conor Gethins		43 apps	18 goals
Jamie Michie (sub)		55 apps	-
Max Berton (sub)		34 apps	2 goals
Sam Muirhead (sub)		1 app (debut)	-

Starting Lineup

Matchday Squad

First Team Debuts

Sam Muirhead

(Signed May 22nd, 2017)

Milestones

The experience of games at Mosset Park have generally been of departing with many bruises and few points. This time the bruises were still there (Graeme Rodger who made an outstanding contribution to Uniteds comfortable victory was the target of some pretty unsavoury stuff at times) but they trousered all the points to take their opening run of the season to an impressive 9 points out of 9.

Again they started at a very high tempo taking the game straight to their opponents and again they forced an early lead. After two forays of flowing attack – one down each flank, they crafted an excellent goal where Rodger and Barbour combined on the right to feed the ball to MacPhee in space wide right of goal but near the goal line. He whipped the ball diagonally back to the other corner of the box, Gethins chested it on into the path of the advancing Smith who returned it to MacPHEE who had drifted back to get a better angle from which to drive the ball over the diving Knight.

This 4th minute lead was all but neutralised 3 minutes later by a bizarre refereeing decision to award Mechanics a penalty for what appeared no apparent reason. Justice was served when Soane drove the spot kick straight to the feet of MacDonald who managed to clear his lines. A flurry of Forres pressure over the next minute or two ended when MacDonald tipped away a Fraser pile driver for an unrewarded corner.

United resumed their offensive and produced some impressive flowing football building from the back and moving the ball about quickly and fluently in the middle to carve out a number of half chances for MacPhee, Rodger, Barbour and Gethins. They were sharper, more direct and whenever they had the ball, which was most of the time, they caused visible anxiety in the home rearguard. MacPhee made runs into and the around the box, Gethins darted about dangerously and Forres struggled to find a settled pattern. In the 15th minute they managed a decent thrust that was halted when MacDonald grabbed the ball away from the head of Soane just forward of his right post.

Formartine were bossing the game and extended their lead in the 20th minute. A move down the left side spearheaded by Barbour looked to be running out of steam when he played a rather speculative looking cross that looked to be too long for Rodger and too short for MacPhee. To prevent the ball reaching the danger area at the other side of the box HOWARTH produced what, had it been at the other end, would have been a strong candidate for goal of the season, with a spectacular dive to take the ball at knee height he delivered a thunderous header that crashed the ball in the very corner of the net and perfectly beyond the reach of the keeper for Formartines second.

United pressure continued and the game took on a more physical aspect as Mechanics tried to muscle their way back into it. Both Fraser twins were booked for over exuberant and ill-timed tackles but still United ran the show. A period of sustained pressure in the final third had Can Cans creaking and after a couple of minutes of backs to the wall stuff in their own penalty area MacPHEE again delivered a killer blow this time seizing a hastily misjudged clearance about 8 yards out from the right post and drilling the ball into the net for number three in the 23 minute.

At three goals to the good and playing with some style Formartine had the game all but won – and still Forres looked to have no answer beyond trying to out muscle them in the middle. The fourth goal put the tin lid on the Cans. A second own goal in the same game is rare and some case could be made for awarding this 39th minute clincher to Scott Barbour on the basis that it was a direct product of his persistence. He certainly deserves some credit: a Formartine cross had been played left to right into the home goal mouth. Keeper Knight and left back Groat both jumped towards the ball. So too did the much smaller Barbour who managed to insinuate himself between the pair just enough for them all to miss the ball which rebounded off the back of Groat and trickled into the net before the keeper who had landed the wrong side of the defender could do anything about it.

Forres rang the changes for the start of the second half – after that drubbing they really had to. Grant and Pollock were introduced and their experience definitely brought a steadying element to the home side. Anderson who had taken a bit of a kicking in the first half was unable to start the second and was replaced by young Burnett who made a decent, energetic contribution throughout the second period. To the Can Cans credit they made a decent fist of things in the second period. They were never going to pinch a point or anything like that but they gave a decent account of themselves, playing with much clearer shape and purpose than hitherto.

They managed to bag a consolation goal for their efforts – ironically it came from former Formartine midfielder Stuart Soane who completed a period of pressure on the Formartine area with a move that got him ahead of the strikers to force the ball across the line at the back stick in the 68th minute.

United were still largely in control of events and created some decent chances which were missed more from excesses of youthfull enthusiasm than anything else when sub Liam Burnetts, hurried shot went over the top and fellow sub Sam Muirheads shot on the turn was blocked by Knight. Perhaps the most impressive part of Uniteds second half performance was the calm, measured defending by the central pair of Scott Henry and Jevan Anderson who not only kept Lee Fraser subdued throughout but provided a platform from which midfield and further forward moves were developed.

This was a good performance at a difficult venue and United showed both the skills and appetite needed for a successful season.

Match report by Colin Keenan



Photography by Ian Rennie