Fraserburgh 0 - 1 Formartine United

League Match
Wednesday, April 4th, 2018, 8:00 PM at Bellslea Park, Fraserburgh
Attendance: 200
Referee: Chris Fordyce
Fraserburgh v Formartine United, Apr 4th 2018, Bellslea Park, Fraserburgh
Fraserburgh Formartine United 

Goalscorers
None. Scott Barbour (35)

Team Managers
Mark Cowie Paul Lawson

Starting Eleven
Peter Tait
Lewis Davidson
Bryan Hay
Ryan Cowie
Ryan Christie
Paul Young
Jamie Beagrie
Willie West
Greg Buchan
Graham Johnston
Aiden Combe
Kevin Main
Jevan Anderson
Craig McKeown
Johnny Crawford
Stuart Smith
Stuart Anderson
Graeme Rodger
Wayne Mackintosh
Archie MacPhee
Scott Barbour
Garry Wood

Bench
Garry Harris
Dean Cowie
Marc Dickson
Cameron Buchan
Paul Campbell
Edward Flinn
Ewen MacDonald
Jamie Michie
Andrew Greig
Paul Lawson
Liam Burnett
Conor Gethins

Substitutions
None. None.

Bookings
Bryan Hay (41)
Lewis Davidson (88)
Kevin Main (56)
Wayne Mackintosh (79)

Red Cards
Marc Dickson (72) None.

Appearances & Goals To Date
Kevin Main (GK) 6 apps -
Jevan Anderson 31 apps1 goal
Craig McKeown 88 apps19 goals
Johnny Crawford 93 apps5 goals
Stuart Smith 190 apps17 goals
Stuart Anderson 164 apps28 goals
Graeme Rodger 133 apps43 goals
Wayne Mackintosh 32 apps4 goals
Archie MacPhee 40 apps32 goals
Scott Barbour 125 apps60 goals
Garry Wood 99 apps52 goals

Starting Lineup
Youngest Player:Jevan Anderson (18 years 36 days)
Oldest Player:Kevin Main (36 years 21 days)
Average Player Age:28 years 215 days
Domestic Players:11 (100.00 % of starting eleven)

Matchday Squad
Youngest Player:Jevan Anderson (18 years 36 days)
Oldest Player:Kevin Main (36 years 21 days)
Average Player Age:28 years 25 days
Domestic Players:16 (94.12 % of matchday squad)

First Team Debuts

Milestones

They faced each other in the League Cup final on neutral territory on Saturday and faced each other again this Wednesday evening in the league. Each time Formartine won by a single goal and that is a pretty fair representation of the small but highly significant margin of superiority they currently enjoy at the Brochs expense.

However these two games were as different as chalk and cheese and despite all the kudos that attends winning a cup – the cup as far as SHFL clubs are concerned, this win was in many ways at least as difficult for United to pull off as the previous one. Broch were playing at home – Fortress Bellslea where even Cove have failed to beat them this season, hurting after a relatively lacklustre display in the cup, and with a point to prove in front of their own fans, were going to take some beating. That Formartine achieved this in a grim, unyielding trial of midfield strength on a bitter winter evening speaks volumes about the character and will to win that this side has developed under its present management.

They went to the Broch to find them as hard and unyielding as any side they had faced this season and simply matched them in every aspect of the game bar the art of finishing where they just had a wee tad more class and just enough to trouser the points.

In many ways this game was conducted more like a cup tie than the final was – initially it was played end to end at a scorching pace eventually settling to a still rip-roaring encounter, played at a frightening lick but confined more to the box to box area. Broch were the first to show when a longish ball from the back , hoofed forward by Davidson was picked up by Combe who scorched through the inside right channel pursued by Jevan Anderson who managed to keep goal side of him throughout and denied him the space to make the cross inside that West and Johnston were screaming for.The ball went out for a goal kick and straight back into Broch territory where Barbour and Wood combined for the latter to get off a reasonable enough effort from near the right corner of the box through a ruck of rapidly retreating defenders but it rebounded from a black sock before being collected by Tait.

The game carried on in similar vein for the next few minutes with Formartine showing a little more cohesion and fluency in stringing passes together but the overall pace of the game was such that no player was allowed any time on the ball and passing moves by either side were quickly broken up by the other.

A foray down the left flank by Smith provided a platform for Barbour to get one on one with Tait in the 5th minute but the shot from left of centre about 15 yards out, although well struck and dipping, flew a foot or so over the top.

Wood was holding the ball up well and at times occupying a couple or more defenders in the process. That meant gaps elsewhere for others if he could get the ball to them. Now and again he did and that showed just the odd chink of advantage for United.

Twenty minutes in and this pressure yielded a series of three corners for United all of them on the right. Each in its way caused difficulties for the home side but they weathered the storm which included a thumping shot from Rodger in the hole at the edge of the box that was deflected for corner number 3 and that was recycled a few times in the area including a wee flurry in the goal mouth before the keeper eventually got it. At the other end Beagrie got into shooting range just left of centre and twenty odd yards out but McKeown and Crawford between them got him to snatch at his finish which bobbled its way towards Main who dealt with it easily enough.

United were getting the upper hand and in the 28th minute another corner caused a fair stooshie in the home goalmouth and a powerful header from young Jevan Anderson crashed off the crossbar before being pumped into the crowd by Christie. Formartine pressure was mounting and the pace was hot as ever and as sure as God made little apples something had to give. In line with the balance of play United got the goal they needed to take the points. It looked like Fraserburgh had survived an onslaught on their goal area after efforts by MacPhee and Rodger had been blocked by serried ranks of midfield and defenders and the ball cleared well up the park. As the focus of play moved up nearer the centre circle a miss hit attempt at a long ball forward was deflected back into the space short of the box and in front of Christie on the 18 yard line. BARBOUR was on to it like a manic mongoose, dragged the ball a bit to the left and left the equine defender stranded. Bearing in on goal he kept his head, showed enough of the ball to Tait to tempt him to move right while keeping enough of it for himself to move it left, take it round him and dink it into the net from about ten yards out.

That won United the game but there was nearly an hour of it left and Broch were well stung. For a few minutes the game went back to end to end stuff but Formartine where Mackintosh was outstanding as a midfield ball winner knew what to expect and simply got a firm grip in the central areas and stiffled Brochs ability to get the ball forward or wide. This they sustained, inelegantly at times but very effectively until the interval.

Broch came out for the second half well fired up and even if it were not their intention to do so ended with a formation that looked more like 3-6-1 than 5-3-2 or whatever it was meant to be. That was one part of the strategy; the other was to up the ante in a physical sense and try to bully or intimidate United. While most tackles remained more or less legal, a fair few failed to meet that standard. Rodger who was a persistent and often, despite the best efforts of Young, Cowie and others to shackle him, a creative midfield threat was singled out for a number of high, late and off the ball altogether challenges.

This was hard physical, typical Broch stuff but United would not yield to it. Broch did manage to compress play for long spells into the United half and did have their moments. United were probably at their most vulnerable just before the hour mark. Apparent mis-communication between McKeown and keeper. Main where the former elected to let the ball run past him through to the latter let in West. Main bravely went down at the forwards feet but brought him down in the process. The penalty was given and the keeper booked. Johnston hammered the ball low to the keepers left but he guessed right and made a superb save at the base of the upright, pushing the ball away two handed.

That might have broken the spirit of weaker willed sides but not the Broch. They battled on and sustaining pressure managed a thumping free kick from thirty yards out and to the right. Cowies pile driver got past the wall and demanded another stunning save from Main as he tipped the ball over the top for an unrewarded corner.

The greater the adversity the harder the tackles. Thats the Broch way – its a tradition with them but it back fired. Dickson came on to up the ante in that department in the 61st minute. With his mind elsewhere, perhaps on the hammer throwing event at the Commonwealth Games, he lasted only ten minutes before a challenge on Roger – knee high, and directed only at the player, ages after the ball had gone saw him on the end of a straight red card. The reduced numbers did not reduce the homesdes efforts but United had the nous to keep enough of a grip on the game to see it out for the single goal victory.

With results elsewhere doing them a few favours Uniteds league position is looking rosier too. 3rd or even 2nd place now seems an attainable prospect. With 6 games to go they have a lot yet to play for.

Match report by Colin Keenan

Programme cover / Team sheet