Appearances & Goals To Date

Greg Sim (GK)		4 apps	-
Jevan Anderson		14 apps	-
Calum Dingwall		127 apps	8 goals
Stuart Smith		169 apps	14 goals
Paul Lawson		60 apps	18 goals
Stuart Anderson		149 apps	28 goals
Graeme Rodger		108 apps	32 goals
Scott Ferries		47 apps	5 goals
Archie MacPhee		17 apps	18 goals
Scott Barbour		102 apps	46 goals
Liam Burnett		29 apps	3 goals
Max Berton (sub)		45 apps	4 goals
Kieran Lawrence (sub)		17 apps	-

Starting Lineup

Matchday Squad

First Team Debuts

Milestones

The scoreline indicates a substantial, easily gained victory for United: in reality the former was true but the latter, significantly wide of the mark. The Lowland League side – the first ever to be relegated there under the pyramid system, and the first team to be managed by Alex Ferguson in his pre-knighthood days was no push over in a game where each side had prolonged spells of the upper hand over the other. In general terms, United bossed the first half of the first half and the latter of the second of this 2nd Round tie in the William Hill Scottish Cup, whereas Shire largely shaded the 45 minutes or so in between. There was one crucial difference though: Formartine ruthlessly exploited the chances they created rattling up two quick fire goals in each of their periods of dominance while the visitors – who made a chance or two when they were on top were unable to convert them into goals.

As with any cup tie, making a good aggressive start is crucial and although the opening tempo was high, it was clear that the North Lodge boys had grabbed this game by the throat and wanted to steam roller the Larbert lads into oblivion. Within a minute, United had the ball into the Shire box after a move down the left involving, in order: Smith Ferries, Burnett and Barbour. With MacPhee approaching Ramsay managed to get a block in on Barbours ball over to his strike partner. Play was end to end but United were able to mop up visiting thrusts quickly and turn them to attack. In the fourth minute a move down the right initiated by Lawson brought in Dingwall and Burnett whose 35 yard dipping diagonal cross was met by Barbour who thumped in a fierce ten yard header that had Barclay at full stretch to tip the ball round his left up right for an unrewarded corner. United were buzzing: East Stirlingshire were rocking back on their heels.

Pressure was ramped up as Formartine produced a left side version of the same in the 11th minute when another header from Barbour rebounded off the bar before being booted hurriedly into the crowd. Shire were working hard enough but Formartine were challenging quickly and immediately enough to deny them any time on the ball or space in which to operate. The opening goal, seemed an inevitability when it arrived in the fourteenth minute. Formartine were sustaining almost unrelenting pressure on the visitors rearguard. MacPhee, Rodger and Barbour all had goal directed attempts denied by knees, shins, buttocks and boots before through the maelstrom FERRIES, not far from the penalty spot drove one goalwards. On its way, it deflected off some part of a defender to put the ball even further beyond the reach of keeper Barclay than it was already going.

No more than a minute later United gained a stranglehold on the game with an absolute peach of a goal. From the resumption ES made some progress down the right before Smith dispossessed Brisbane and flipped the ball cross field via Andeerson, to Lawson on the right. He progressed quickly to the half way line before flighting a pass of consummate accuracy to MacPhee inside the left corner of the Shire box. He instantly had the ball under control looked up, sized up the options and, uber-cool, calmly side footed the ball ten yards right, along the edge of the 6 yard box for BARBOUR to blast the ball into the net.

United had been well rewarded for their high tempo start and despite having established a comfortable lead, were soon to realise the mettle of their opposition who faced up to their predicament by battling their way right back into the game. Brisbane and Ure looked like experienced campaigners who knew enough to begin to break up play in the middle, with increasing degrees of success. This began to constrict the supply to Barbour and MacPhee and forced Burnett and Rodger back into deeper positions. At the same time Brisbane and Sludden were beginning to get a few pickings as United were forced back into their own territory. That said, their defence looked sound enough with young Jevan Anderson making a number of telling tackles some prettier than others but all of them by and large legal and effective. His namesake Stuart (no relation) read the game superbly and brought experience to organise the reaeguard into a highly effective unit that gave very little away. What little did get past them was dealt with well, often impressively by keeper Sim.

On the stroke of half time a long diagonal ball from McCormack in the inside right channel has headed hard right to left by Sludden to bring a swift reaction save as Sim dived to is left to deny the visitors what would otherwise have been a crucial lifeline at the best possible stage.

The second period saw Formartine trying to find the pacy dominance with which they had started the first but the visitors were prepared for it and imposed enough to ensure that the game continued as a hard fought midfield affair. The next goal was clearly going to be massive and United playing with a maturity which saw them holding possession more than risking losing it in pursuit of increasing their lead. This was not as exciting fare as formerly but it showed a new level of professionalism in United as in their way, without bossing possession they still exerted their control over proceedings. ES were winning their share in the middle but they seldom penetrated the United box and were pretty well kept under control in all the areas that mattered. As time went on United looked the fitter side and began bit by bit to reach a position where they were again calling the shots and forcing the visitors on to the back foot.

With twenty minutes to go United were asking questions again and soon both Dingwall and Ferries had decent enough attempts from the edge of the area. The former just missed to the left and the latters effort was too high. Young Burnett was replaced by Kieran Lawrence whose fresh legs helped United establish the upperhand in midfield as ES began, bit by bit, to fade. Victory was assured in the 80th minute. A lobbed ball from centre out left by Stuart Anderson was collected by MacPhee but McGregor, McCormack and White were all over him like an outbreak of impetigo. A shimmy to his right and a three quarter turn the other way gave him a gap through which he dragged himself and the ball lo leave them in frantic pursuit as he jinked along the edge of the box before turning to drill the ball goal wards. BARBOUR, coming in from the right was onto the ball like an electrified ferret and pinged it beyond the reach of the keeper for the third and decisive goal.

The efforts of MacPhee deserved a goal and it came two minutes later. Sub Lawrence deurinated D.Ure in central midfield by catching him in possession and burst forward through the middle using pace and strength to beat off the challenge of Greene before showing amazing peripheral vision to cut the ball fifteen yards left to the advancing MacPHEE who continued his run before unloading a vicious drive that was net bound the instant it left his foot.

That completely sealed the result that takes United to the third round and a fascinating home tie against League 1 side Forfar Athletic against whom they achieved a creditable draw back in the summer in a pre-season friendly. With this sort of approach and performance and despite the odds being stacked against them, they are well capable of pulling off a result.

Match report by Colin Keenan



Photography by Ian Rennie

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