Formartine hit Keith for six
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Formartine United 6 - Keith FC 0
On a windy day four months ago a Formartine side so ravaged by injuries that they could list only three subs lost out to the only goal of the game at Kynoch park.
This time, with fewer injuries,, the subtext was revenge and a fired up United hit the visitors hard, early and regularly to more than make amends for September ’s disappointment.
It has taken some time for Stuart Anderson to assemble and organise this new look team, but the fruits of his labour were on spectacular show throughout an utterly convincing display of fast, fluent attacking football that had the visitors on the backfoot from start to finish.
The fact that six different players were on the score sheet shows just how difficult the visitors found their hosts to contend with and how fluently the United side gelled together in a display where threats came from every part of the park.
They went for the jugular right from the off and attacked Keith from the left through Coombe whose run was finished with a back post cross that was scrambled away with difficulty.
Pressure was applied and sustained as Wade, Norris, Park and Rodger all managed to to get balls into the box over the next few minutes but it took until the 14th minute for United to open their account.
They had been applying pressure on the home rearguard but hadn’t really tested the keeper.
Despite being on the back foot much of the time Keith were defending quite well until Wade made progress through the inside left channel and swung over a vicious slightly outswinging ball beyond the back post.
It was eventually hacked away but GALLAGHER pressed forward into space about twenty five yards out and leathered the ball with laser like accuracy low past the right hand of the keeper .
It was too early for alarm bells to ring for Keith but United had scented blood and were out for more.
Wave upon wave of United pressure allowed little respite for the Keith defence.who were looking less assured by now.
Rodger was getting through a power of work but was felled by a crude tackle by Smith about 10 yards shy of the right corner of the box.
Park’s free kick went to the back stick,was cleared with difficulty and eventually reached McLEAN who saw the gap through which he volleyed the ball into the net from about 18 yards out.
A minute later in the 35th minute, new signing CAMPBELL sprung the off side trap to collect a ball played up to him from defence and with a cleverly timed run got ahead of his markers and amid howls of protest that he was off side, bore down on goal and slipped the ball past the advancing Reid for the goal that ended whatever faint hopes the visitors had of redemption..
The midway scoreline of 4-0 was reached with a close range effort from Aiden COMBE following a United attack that produced a sustained barrage on a densely populated Keith goalmouth and penalty box.
There were shots from Park, Gallagher , Smith, Norris , Wade and more.
None reached the keeper as the ball rebounded of various parts of Keith anatomies before COMBE found the chink through which to direct a rebound into the net .
The second half began with Keith in damage limitation mode trying to stifle things in midfield and break the United links to their rampant forwards.
They had limited success in this but stuck doggedly to the thankless energy sapping task of chasing shadows.
Time for subs.
In the 64th minute United brought on the pacy Lisle.
Entering the fray from half way on the left touch line he spotted a United break and running diagonally forward to join in, called for the ball got it and hammered it straight into the net with his first
touch of the game.
He’d been on for seconds!
The next sub was Anderson who managed a couple of decent shots at goal before also joining the score sheet in the 88th minute with a free kick delivered with consummate precision from near the left corner of the box to the back of the net before keeper Reid to could get near to it.
This was as good a home performance from United as has been seen in a long time.
Playing with pace structure and flair, they utterly overwhelmed a decent young side.
Their potential seems outstanding and although it is still quite early in the process to expect consistent delivery of this standard the prospects of this new regime seem exciting.
