Fraserburgh and Formartine share the spoils
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It looked from the outset that the game plan for each side was based on the premise of hitting the other hard and early and this second leg of the festive double header in the Breedon Aggregates Highland League opened at a rip snorting pace.
Broch were first to threaten with a break down the right flank yielding the a corner in the opening minute.
It wasn’t a bad one either and a training ground manouvre got the ball to Barbour at the back stick but his first touch was clumsy and what was otherwise a reasonable half chance went by.
United definitely looked in the mood as they replied down their left through Lisle whose blistering run was completed with fifth minute cross that narrowly eluded the runs of Coombe and Rodger.
United continued to press and two minutes later another right sided press starting from a throw in down the right by Maclean that flew fully thirty five yards before being slipped into meet the run of COMBE through the centre who continued straight towards goal before releasing a fierce low drive past the left of the advancing keeper from just shy of 25 yards out.
That was hard; it was early, United had deserved it and set about tightening their grip on the game, a task aided by the injury enforced withdrawl of Broch’s Butcher (replaced in the 20th by Bolton).
Three minutes later with United pressing hard another attack in the wake of a humungous throw -in from Maclean yielded a penalty.He hurled the ball a good 30 yards and it was immediately fed on to Lisle who broke into the box from centre left and rode two dodgy looking tackles to get one on one with keeper Barbour about ten yards out.
The keeper blatantly felled the forward and the penalty was awarded. Crawford’s rather tentative spot kick was blocked but not held by Barbour. Wade followed up but the ball broke to COMBE who slotted home his second of the evening.
Broch immediately tried to retrieve their situation and came close to reducing the deficit when Young had a decent dance about 12 yards out. Macdonald pushed the shot away for an unrewarded corner.
Half way through the opening half and still two to the good, United were running the show and continued to dominate for the next ten minutes or so although Broch relying a bit on longish balls were no longer kept as much on the back foot as formerly and made a couple of half chances as West miscued one near the base of Macdonald’s right stick and Barbour slashed at one at the other side, screwing the ball high and wide.
Fraserburgh got what they desperately needed by reducing the United lead before the interval.
A long ball from well inside their own half was hit out to West on the left and his cross into the box was beaten away by the keeper but landed at the feet of sub BOLTON who slipped the ball home from a couple of yards out.
The second half, played out in a gusty wind, was characterised more by effort than elegance as the home side tried desperately to get back on terms with United doing all in their powers to gain the three points and pull off what would have been a hugely important milestone in the rebuilding of their team.
Remarkably, given the temp at which the game was conducted from the outset, the pace never slackened and although the end to end nature of it still held up, mistakes by both sides increased and penetration of the oppositions final third was much less frequent.
It did however look like United would hold onto their slender lead and although the home side probably had more possession there was clear level of determination about United whose impressive workrate would have seen them home against a lesser side than the current champions.
To concede an equaliser in the last few minutes of the game clearly hurts but for United to do so against a corner from the right against the same side twice in successive games pushes that from pain to something nearer embarrassment.
In the 84th minute Barbour swung the ball over to what seemed like a pre-arranged spot where it was knocked down straight to WEST who had it in the net in a flash.
It’s a cruel game: these two corners cost United points.
That said it was still an impressive performance in difficult circumstances.
There are clear signs of improvement and the recent signings of winger Combe and striker Campbell (both ironically from Fraserburgh): hold out a
tantalising prospect of United success in 2023.
