Appearances & Goals To Date

Kevin Main (GK)		25 apps	-
Jevan Anderson		52 apps	1 goal
Johnny Crawford		112 apps	6 goals
Stuart Smith		213 apps	19 goals
Stuart Anderson		185 apps	32 goals
Graeme Rodger		157 apps	54 goals
Andrew Greig		37 apps	13 goals
Archie MacPhee		61 apps	44 goals
Aaron Norris		7 apps	-
Kieran Lawrence		34 apps	2 goals
Garry Wood		116 apps	60 goals
Ryan Stott (sub)		16 apps	3 goals
Conor Gethins (sub)		85 apps	34 goals
Liam Burnett (sub)		56 apps	7 goals

Starting Lineup

Matchday Squad

First Team Debuts

Milestones

The remarkable thing about this game was not so much that it started at a blistering pace but that it continued at that same frenetic level right through to the last whistle. There's always been a fair bit of rivalry between these two teams and the combination of that and the pace at which the match was conducted throughout contributed to an excellent game of football – what the Highland League as all about.

Formartine players wore black armbands in mourning for the very recent passing of club stalwart Adam Grant who served it as groundsman and committee member for the last 5 decades. The pace was such that the game had a certain end to end characteristic to it from the kick off. United began with the same eleven that started in their weekend win at Brora and with few recent adjustments for injuries and suspensions, what is beginning to look like a settled side where management are clear about their best line up. For all that it was Buckie who were the first to show when MacAskill on the end of an over the top ball from deep managed to get off a decent 25 yard drive that flashed past Main's left upright at about waist height. That was about 4 minutes in and a couple of minutes after that Robertson was on the end of another over the top ball from deep and forcing his way towards the United box albeit closely marshalled by Stuart Anderson. The ball went over both their heads and bounced a yard or so short of the home box from where keeper Main as adeptly as any sweeper headed it to safety

At the other end United showed their teeth as Wood and MacPhee exchanged passes enough to open up a sight of goal for Roger who piled through the inside right channel to offload a fierce low trundler that Herbert looked relieved to watch slipping past his left stick. After 15 minutes or so and despite the end to end pattern, it was just becoming apparent that United were capable of holding the ball up in and around the Buckie box for slightly longer periods than Buckie could at the other end. It was never a case of Buckie defending and trying to hit on the break nor anything like it, but there was just a slight hint that United were more likely to unpick the Buckie defence than vice versa.

However both teams were clearly eager to move the ball from back to front quickly and they did so with some creativity and invention. For all that the Formartine back four of Crawford and Smith at full back Jevan Anderson as centre half with Stuart Anderson orchestrating it all from his sweeper's berth were solid enough to confine their visitors to territory twenty and more yards out from goal. Because of this the balance was moving ever so slightly United's way.

The twenty ninth minute brought the breakthrough Formartine sought. The ball was worked from their own half and with an overlap by Smith with Greig the ball was delivered very accurately be former to MACPHEE a few yards over from the left corner of a crowded box. Archie dropped a shouder, spun clockwise to wrong foot a couple of defenders and skelped the ball venomously against the line of the vainly advancing keeper and into the far corner of the net.

Any notion that Buckie would then raise their tempo in response had to be ill considered (the pace was already flat out). The overall pattern remained pretty much the same – a lot of end to end stuff played at pace and with flair but with Formartine just showing a slight edge.

The second half began with United pressing using pace from Norris and Greig to keep pressure on down the flanks and Buckie trying to establish midfield dominance. To some extent each managed what they set out to but Formartine especially in recent weeks have shown an encouraging efficiency in converting opportunities into goals. This time they did it in in some style. Right back Crawford did the early bit by pushing on out of defence and courtesy of a one two with Kieran Lawrence was able to bring in MacPhee who waltzed his way to a position only a few yards shy of the corner flag from where he leathered a difficult dipping ball to the head of Rodger who had forced his way through the inside left route to get his head to it and get off a ferocious close range header that Herbert could parry but not hold. Meat and drink to the predatory Wood who was onto the rebound in flash and neatly clipped the ball past the keeper from no more than 5 yards out.

Buckie worked away at getting back on terms but they didn't have enough in any department to get the upper hand on a United team whose defence competently contained the best threats the visitors could muster, absorbed midfield pressure – and Buckie weren't champions two years back for nothing – and although working very hard to do so, nonetheless bossed the game until the finish.

This wasn't just a very good home win for United – Adam Grant would have been proud – it was a really good game of football and that would have made him really happy too. After a rather ropey September, this side are playing some excellent stuff just now.

Match report by Colin Keenan

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