Appearances & Goals To Date

Kevin Main (GK)		55 apps	-
Michael Clark		8 apps	2 goals
Stuart Smith		244 apps	23 goals
Wayne Mackintosh		55 apps	6 goals
Stuart Anderson		210 apps	34 goals
Graeme Rodger		192 apps	65 goals
Liam Strachan		8 apps	-
Kieran Lawrence		67 apps	2 goals
Jordan Leydon		11 apps	2 goals
Scott Lisle		8 apps	8 goals
Garry Wood		149 apps	74 goals
Paul Lawson (sub)		79 apps	19 goals
Gary McGowan (sub)		12 apps	6 goals

Starting Lineup

Matchday Squad

First Team Debuts

Milestones

The prematch expectation was that this was potentially a game of men against boys talented enough boys maybe but few of the Merkinch crew had the range of senior experience that, by and large almost all of their hosts had already tucked under their belts. However United were unable to parade all their experience at one time for this game being denied through injury the services of veteran defenders Craig McKeown and Johnny Crawford.

Some reflection of the relative expectations of the two sides was seen straight away as United set up in an attacking 4-4-2 against the rather damage limitation weighted 5-2-2-1 of Clach with Dunn ploughing a lone furrow some distance ahead of his team mates. Within a minute Formartine had the ball in the net from a Rodger header (ruled off side) but not by much. Thereafter United showed their professional credentials controlling virtually every aspect of the game patiently probing and prodding looking for weaknesses and opportunities. They were calling the shots, dictating the terms but, met by stout early resistance, took their time to get on the goal trail. The pressure was ramped up as time went on and around the 25th minute a succession of attacks rocked the visitors. A slide rule pass by Rodger for Lisle was grabbed by MacLennan. Rodger, Wood and Lisle combined to set up the last named for a shot that fully worked the keeper earning a corner.

A goal was almost inevitable and in the 25th minute right back Mackintosh breaking down the flank swung over a perfectly judged cross to the head of LISLE who headed forcefully home. The pattern continued with United pressing hard but being denied by dogged resistance here and a bit of luck there for the young visitors. Their main problem was that with only Dunn up top, and a long way away at that, they had no breakout route. United simply picked up the clearances and re-applied pressure, almost at will.
United got their second in the 53rd minute after Mackintosh found Wood on the penalty spot and the big striker simply laid the ball off to LISLE who blasted it home from that range. Ten minutes later a flowing move initiated by Rodger and Wood was finished by McGOWAN swiveling to rifle the ball viciously past the stranded MacLennan into the bottom left corner.

United hammered on and in the 67th showed utter dominance when a McGowan run set him to find Wood in the box. His strike was parried but he simply popped the rebound over the 6 yard box back to McGowan who chipped back for Wood to head home for goal number four.

United`s final fling was a penalty that completed LISLE's hat trick after Leyden was brought down by Webb. The hat trick hero buried the spot kick in the bottom right corner.
A late consolation goal following a long clearance by MacLennan to Dunn gave some solace to a hard working side that were beaten more or less man for man across the park

Match report by Colin Keenan



Photography by Ian Rennie