Appearances & Goals To Date

Kevin Main (GK)		34 apps	-
Joe MacPherson		17 apps	-
Jevan Anderson		61 apps	3 goals
Craig McKeown		102 apps	19 goals
Stuart Anderson		193 apps	33 goals
Andrew Greig		47 apps	20 goals
Graeme Rodger		167 apps	58 goals
Aaron Norris		17 apps	2 goals
Kieran Lawrence		44 apps	2 goals
Archie MacPhee		71 apps	48 goals
Garry Wood		126 apps	65 goals
Johnny Crawford (sub)		118 apps	6 goals
Liam Burnett (sub)		65 apps	7 goals
Conor Gethins (sub)		94 apps	39 goals

Starting Lineup

Matchday Squad

First Team Debuts

Milestones

Christmas spirit doesn't really extend to rejoicing in your neighbours' misfortune, but when these are the neighbours that tried their best to prevent you moving into the street in the first place, the spirit of peace on earth and goodwill towards all men just doesn't quite cut it. The Formartine faithful left North Lodge cock a hoop at trouncing arch rivals for the fourth time this season. The fact that the win meant that they leap-frog Locos in the League table to lead them by one point but with now three games in hand added both icing and a decent sprig of holly to their Christmas cake. It was a decent enough game even if it was clear enough by half time where the points were headed. Although Formartine were not always at their rampant best, they played well enough for long enough to ease their way to a margin of victory that made an unarguable statement about the relative quality of the two sides.

Formartine started with neither of their regular full backs: (Jonny Crawford and Stuart Smith) available because of injury. However this double whammy was partially offset by the return of Craig McKeown to take on organising duties at the heart of the re-arranged defence. Locos had not been without their injury problems over recent weeks but fielded what most would regard as their first choice starting eleven. There is always a fair adrenalin buzz around when these games kick off and that, as is usually the case, translated into a frenetically paced opening spell of end to end stuff.

United were the first to make their presence felt when MacPhee orchestrating things around the front edge of the Locos box wriggled into enough space to get off a hard low drive as he spun off Broadhurst. This was enough to prompt emergency action as Reid pushed the ball away to safety. A back heel by the already rampant Wood to Greig resulted in a shot that deflected off Crisp for a corner and United were beginning to dominate in terms of both territory and possession. It was therefore slightly against the run of play that Locos, as they had done last time out, sneaked an early opening goal. A long ball from fairly deep by MacLean to Angus ended in a ninth minute free kick following a foul by Rodger on the forward. Duff took this from forty yards out. The ball was flighted slightly in-swinging to the back post area where some dithering in the re-constituted defence left CRISP clear to nod home.

That fairly got the Locos tails up and their support baying for more, but it was Formartine who were calling the shots in midfield and carried the real fire power up front. The Locos lead was a short lived affair and ended in rather cruel fashion in the 13th minute with an absolute peach of a finish by Aaron NORRIS. A sweeping attack from deep in their own half by United started with a ball out of defence by MacPherson to Stuart Anderson who took off through the inside right channel before threading it through to NORRIS who still 35 or more yards out, caught the ball on the half volley and skelped it ferociously right into the top right corner of the net. Reid got a paw to it but such was the pace on the ball, he could do nothing to impede its net bound progress. A perfect peach of a strike.

This was hard to follow and the game entered a more pedestrian phase where Formartine still had the better of things but lacked the sort of lethal fluency they can often achieve. They by and large controlled midfield although MacLean made a few dangerous forays forward the best of which saw him take the ball a good fifty yards at flat out pace before being cruelly thwarted by McKeown. After this run through the middle where he shook off any attempts to dispossess him he reached the edge of the box with only the big defender between him and the keeper. He looked an irresistible force but failed to overcome the immovable object as big Craig stood his ground before stopping him dead in his tracks with an immaculately timed tackle to nick the ball from off his toes.


Wood was causing problems up top and Greig working some magic mostly wide left meant that although United weren't asking too much of Reid they were still a force to be reckoned with. MacPhee was in fine fettle and showed over and again that he had the guile to prise open what often amounted to a back five or six. Over the last ten minutes of the first half United built up a fair head of steam and had the visitors fairly well hemmed into the final third down at the village end. The game turned significantly United's way in stoppage time added to the first half. Greig and Wood had stretched the visiting defence by some patient probing around the left corner of the box before getting the ball over to MacPhee near midpoint of the 18 yard line. With Herd, Broadhurst and Duff blocking his route forward he shimmied left, dropped a shoulder to sell the dummy and having created a chink of space leathered the ball through it and past Reid into the left side of the goal to establish a lead that his side never surrendered thereafter. It was a beautifully crafted goal.

Psychologically it was a perfect time to take the lead and a disastrous one to fall behind and the effects on each side were evident thereafter. Locos were a fading force through most of the second period while United with two goals in as many minutes just after the hour mark went on to consolidate a sound victory. Formartine, buoyed by their lead set about consolidating it. They had considerably more and better possession than the Locos and with Gary Wood on the form that he was you would almost bet your mortgage on him scoring. However it was Archie MacPhee that was next to get his name of the score sheet. A period of United pressure around the Inverurie goal yielded a few unrewarded corners before a crucial if unspectacular third goal all but guaranteed the United victory. A ball from Greig virtually at the left corner flag was lobbed in shortish, just past the near post and a wee rammy between MacPhee and a bouraich of defenders ensued. With a number boots directed at the ball MacPhee applied the one that did the damage as the ball spun away into the net.

Two minutes later, in the 65th minute Wood did what he'd been threatening from the outset and put the tin lid on proceedings with a fourth goal. Kieran Lawrence had done a pile of work at the back for United and combining with the immaculate Stuart Anderson got the ball through to WOOD who rampaged through the middle, drew the keeper and slotted the ball home from just inside the box.

Chris ANGUS had looked the most threatening of the Locos forwards and managed what was no more than a consolation for his efforts when defensive inattention by United in the 73rd minute let him in for a goal they shouldn't really have conceded. Left virtually unmarked no more than 15 yards out he simply took a pop and thumped the ball past the right hand of Main.

United looked a bit sloppy at times as they ran down the clock over the remaining quarter of a hour or so but they did enough to keep the visitors at bay and collect all the points.

Match report by Colin Keeenan



Photography by Ian Rennie

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