Appearances & Goals To Date

Kevin Main (GK)		2 apps	-
Jevan Anderson		27 apps	1 goal
Craig McKeown		84 apps	16 goals
Johnny Crawford		89 apps	5 goals
Stuart Smith		185 apps	17 goals
Stuart Anderson		159 apps	28 goals
Graeme Rodger		128 apps	43 goals
Archie MacPhee		35 apps	29 goals
Scott Barbour		120 apps	58 goals
Scott Ferries		57 apps	7 goals
Garry Wood		95 apps	51 goals
Jamie Michie (sub)		78 apps	-
Wayne Mackintosh (sub)		27 apps	4 goals
Conor Gethins (sub)		61 apps	20 goals

Starting Lineup

Matchday Squad

First Team Debuts

Milestones

Generally there is little noteworthy about Formartine beating Strathspey by this sort of margin but to consider this game in such terms would be to grossly underestimate the recent marked improvement in Strathspey performances. In recent games they have defeated both Buckie and Turriff and drawn with Clach and with this being not only the quarter final of the Breedon Aggregates Highland League Cup, but also Formartines first outing in over a fortnight, the banana skin potential was high. In these circumstances, this was a notable victory for United who approached this game with guts and gusto enough to demonstrate that under their present management they have added a sharpness and professionalism to their approach. Their chances of the league were largely blown earlier in the year but what they have to play for now is the possibility of a cup double. They have already lifted the Aberdeenshire Cup but are now hell-bent on revenge over arch rivals Cove who are holders of this Cup after seeing off United in last years final by the odd goal in three. This Cup matters a lot to them and it showed in this performance where they steam-rollered the Grantown outfit with a performance of more fire and fury than Donald Trump could ever dream of.

As the score-line suggests United dominated this game from start to finish. They raced to a two goal lead within little more than 5 minutes of the start and established a pattern of slick, high tempo sweeping moves from back to front that left the Speysiders vainly trying contain them. To their credit they refused to retreat into a defensive shell and, in cliched parlance, park the bus. Instead, they tried to match United across the departments but simply lacked the quality to achieve that end. The opening goal was a clear indication of both United capabilities and intent. Jevan Anderson intercepted a ball directed towards Finnis and played it long through a gap to find the other Anderson who in one languid movement gathered the ball before almost casually volleying it over a couple of defenders and into the space where MACPHEE was heading. Archie was on to it in a flash and advanced a yard or two before driving the ball home from about 15 yards out. That 4th minute opener was a double blow to Srathspey because in his efforts to close down MacPhee, Reed sustained a twisting injury and played no further part. With only two subs listed, Strathspeys lack of strength in depth was cruelly exposed by having to deploy Mainland that early in the game.

While Thistle were still rearranging themselves and adapting to the enforced change to their battle plan United ruthlessly exploited the situation when BARBOUR drove in from the left to start his hat trick by slipping past Naismith before clipping the ball into the net from around 8 yards out in the 6th minute. Although that was a pretty nigh impregnable lead that United had established this early in the game Strathspey avoided pressing the panic button and settled into a bit of shape and started to move the ball about enough to show that their recently improved form was no flash in the pan. For a while they did reasonably well from box to box but found a really solid looking back four of Crawford and Smith in the full back berths with McKeown co-ordinating everything from right centre with Jevan Anderson to his left, absolutely resolute in their ability to deny access to the sanctum of the 18 yard box.

United still bossed it in terms of territory and possession while Thistle were working hard to contain them but it looked for the next twenty minutes or more that a goal rush could well be averted. However United were playing at full throttle and a lot of the time Strathspey were chasing shadows. In the 29th minute a ball down the right by Crawford to Rodger set up a the goal that really rocked any slender hopes that the visitors might have held of revival or even containment. With a thirty yard drive of awesome power that was bang on target to enter the net near MacCallums left upright the midfielder brought a brave attempt at a save by the keeper who got down to the ball but such was the pace on it all he could do was to push it into the path of WOOD who simply lifted it over the prostrate keeper and into the net.

Again the visitors tried to settle and worked away at containing an increasingly rampant United. The effects of the sheer legwork of trying to keep up with the tempo of Uniteds passing game began to take their toll and Thistle began to wilt in the dying minutes of the half like they had been sprayed with weedkiller. Two goals in the minute before half time ensured that the inevitable victory was going to be a rout. Uniteds attacking midfielders got one apiece : Archie MACPHEE got number four after some slick pass and move stuff got him into the position to drive the ball high past McCallum from about twelve yards and a minute later Crawford who had made ground down the right flank picked out RODGER in the box and set him up for a simple one on one finish for the fifth.

United did not let up in the second half but continued at the same blistering pace, one that the temporarily revived visitors still could not really live with. It took only three minutes or so before United were back in the scoring business. This time a full back got in on the act. Sustained pressure by United from the re-start produced a couple corners, the second of which, swung over by MacPhee, found SMITH who swept the ball home from 6 yards out.

The pace did not really slacken but as the futility of even attempting to attack United became increasingly clear Strathspey played deeper and deeper and United were inevitably restricted in the space they had in which to create openings and the goal rush abated somewhat. The pressure was still there but the game was either by intent on Strathspeys part or because of the volume of pressure applied becoming a damage limitation one. With a busy schedule ahead United chose to bring on their subs to spread the load through the squad a bit. Gethins came on for MacPhee in the 60th and Michie and Mackintosh for Crawford and Ferries ten minutes later. That may or may not have interupted the fluency for a while but it gave fresh legs in places and given that Thistle had only one usable sub available (Barton for MacMillan in the 77th), they were again suffering from the tempo set and sustained by United.

It was almost inevitable that just as in the first half, there would be late United goals in the second. These both came from Scott BARBOUR as the tricky and energetic forward who continually turned defenders inside out popped up with a brace in under quarter of an hour as he completed his hat trick with one in the 75th and another in the dying minutes.

This sets up United for a semi final tie against the winners of Keith v Brora. Given that Keith have lost their last 5 league games in a row, the overwhelming likelihood is that Formartine will have to prepare themselves for a Tuesday night trip to Sutherland.

Match report by Colin Keenan



Photography by Ian Rennie

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