Harlaw Park(Inverurie Loco Works), Aberdeenshire Cup Final 2021/22, 1/10/21
Entrance – £10 for me, £0 for Wee Man
Attendance – Around 400 or so(rough headcount)
Pie – Coffee and Diet Coke £4.25
Pint – £3.60 , Tennents, Social Club
Founded -1887
Random Fact – Tonight’s match ended the shortest reign of the old trophy with Fraserburgh lifting it a mere 66 days ago on 28/7/21. This due to last seasons (20/21) abandoned cup campaign being played early this season.
The 125th Aberdeenshire Cup final, the second played this season and the second attended by Wee Man and myself. A strange scenario that may never be repeated in my life but a very welcome one. The only difference this time around being , Fraserburgh were replaced by their conquerors earlier in this seasons tournament, Banks o’ Dee.
In the car on the way through Wee Man asked me who I thought would win and I said it would be decided on penalties as it would be so close. How wrong could I have been. The first half of this final was men against boys. This was like playing a computer game between Germany v San Marino on easy mode. Formartine looked to still be in Pitmedden. It was disappointing to see them bring so little to a cup final. Especially after such a great performance at the weekend down in Ayrshire where the obliterated Cumnock. But obliteration is what they found themselves on the end of here. Bank o’ Dee were bloody excellent. No question about it. I have never hidden my beef with the Pitmedden side but I still want them to bring something to the table in a cup final, but they did not come close. Banks o’ Dee were clearly more up for it, harder in the tackle, more energetic and just better across the board.
The Dee were on the front foot from the start and should have taken the lead when Mark Gilmour was picked out in acres of space in the Formartine box but his effort was far to close to MacDonald in the United goal. The Junior side continued to push, Lachie MacLeod was unlucky with a bending effort from eighteen yards. This was quickly followed by MacDonald being called into action against MacLeod and carried out his job excellently to stop the big striker, the loose ball was sent flying over the bar by Gilmour who was clearly disappointed in his effort. Formartine were the victims of terrible refereeing when a foul was called back with no advantage played, despite the advantage being Daniel Park clean through on goal and finishing, this leaving an apoplectic Russell Anderson entering the field to remonstrate. The ex Aberdeen stalwart was quite right too. A piss poor piece of officiating for sure. But the game continued in the Dee’s favour and just after the half hour mark Gilmour was picked out superbly and his headed finish into the top corner was equally as good MacDonald could just stand and stare. Immediately the Aberdeen side were two up when McAskill thumped home into an almost unguarded net after some cracking team play down the right left the United defence all over the place. This bombardment was not over for the half and with a minute of the forty five to go Michael Phillipson scored the goal of the night after resurrecting a broken down attack by cutting in from the left and perfectly directing a superb effort across the Formartine goal and into the bottom corner. A great goal and ending the game as a contests at the half way point.
HT 0-3
The second half was as expected was not much of a contest and both teams seemed to go through the motions to an extent. However it was not without incident. The first being pretty fucking idiotic and dangerous in all honesty. The ball went out of play at the enclosure side of the park, leaving a Dee man on the ground, inexplicably from point blank range and well after play had stopped Formartine’s 10 Park struck the ball with venom at the man on the deck striking him in the face. The referee bizarrely did not immediately send the United striker off but eventually got it right. Crazy actions from the Formartine man who quite rightly trudged off for an early bath. However despite the man disadvantage Formartine grabbed a a lifeline(unsure the scorer as view was impeded by the guy next to me). But it was all in vain as Banks o’ Dee put the game to bed when with five minutes to go Burglass poked the ball home under MacDonald from just inside the box. When he took his touch it looked as though he had ballsed it up but he did well to recover and grab his teams fourth and confirm the Rechabites were to have there first engraving on this famous old trophy. Not that it was any doubt at any point in this match.
A side note, since I started my travelling about watching random football at the tail end of 2016, I have seen Formartine on six occasions and have not seen them win once, four defeats and two draws. I have seen Banks o’ Dee eleven times and they have won every game. This final was never in doubt for the Aberdeen club. I am their omen.
Me still 211, Wee Man still 79
FITBAWBAG 