North Lodge, SHFL U18 East, 4/4/24
Me still 303, Wee Man still 168
Formartine United Football Club
Founded – 1948
Nickname – United
Honours (Since step up to senior)- Highland League Cup – 2017/18. Aberdeenshire Cup – 2013/14 and 2017/18. Aberdeenshire Shield – 2018/19.
Random Fact – United were forced to change their badge in 2010 after a “member of the public” complained it was illegal under heraldic law due to some details. The Court of Lord Lyon agreed and prosecution loomed. A new crest which had to be without a lion rampant(they added wings to allow it to stay), saltire and have the red and white vertical stripes widened was designed. They were allowed to keep the shield and French “Sans Peur”. All remnants of the old crest had to be removed hitting the club significantly in the pocket.
Thursday night steak pie under the bright sunny Aberdeenshire sky. The lure won me over. When asked if he fancied it, Wee Man replied “lets go, best place for a kick about” and only 5 miles from home. Better than being cooked up in the house. It helps having a kid who would rather be outside. To Udny we headed to watch a level of fitba I have never watched before, so expectations were unknown. Our score predictions were blind guesses and it was a case of see what happens.
First thing is first and it was kick about time. When we got to North Lodge the yellow ba’ was flat, this due to being sat in my boot for three weeks. When I went to get the pump it wasnt in the car. Wee man had broken the first rule of keeping the pump in the car at all times which is….keep the pump in the car at all times. He had removed it when I was offshore. We were saved by the home side though when we got our ball pumped up by an official. Top geezer. After blootering a heap of shots I nipped to get a pie for kick off. What a beast of a thing it was too. What a weight it was for starters. I had never felt the likes. Then there was the heat of it. the steak and gravy was molten. I am pretty sure if the air force dropped a load of these pies on a target as opposed to napalm they would have been more effective. 18 minutes it took to eat as it was that hot. Bloody fine though once the mouth scald had given way to taste.
On the pitch Formartine started the better team and looked to take the game to the Dee but despite getting wide at what seemed like at will, they didn’t create a huge amount. The first big scare for the young Dee was actually off a foot of their own man when he slid in to cut out a cross, relieved to see it go just wide as he had beaten his keeper. With all the pressure Formartine did take the lead eventually when Josh Proctor went on a maze up through the Banks o’ Dee defence which included avoiding a wild lunge, as he was around ten yards out he finished with ease and sent his team into a deserved lead. It was then two when Brodie Alberts knocked home a corner from close range. It was looking like a Formartine win was on the cards for sure. The Dee really didn’t have much about them.
HT 2 v 0
Shots at Wee Man was inevitably came at half time with the break also throwing up with a meeting with Craig Burness who is a part of the Formartine set up and the one who threw up the info on the game earlier in the evening. A chat on all things development among other local fitba related stuff as his loon and I took turns knocking efforts at Wee Man. The teams emerged for the second half and we headed for our corner to watch on, and let Wee Man eat his pie which was strategically bought at the end of the half to allow it to cool as we mucked about at half time. The first chance was for the Dee when their 10 broke through the United defence but he went for too much power and blazed over the bar. That was as close as Banks o’ Dee had come all game. To sum up the flow of this match, United’s keeper Grant Corbett was in full yellow and it took until the 60th minute to dirty his elbows. A third came for Formartine and what a hit it was too. Aiden Wardrop leathered an effort at goal and the bend on it was spectacular. From where we were it was well beyond the post but it violently bent in back toward goal kissing the post ant finding the opposite side of the net. A stunning strike. One which I applauded given how exquisite a hit it was. Speaking of smashing the ball into the net. Step forward Mitchell Watson who added a fourth by scudding the match ball with venom across goal and into the left hand side of the goal from 20 yards or so. Two crackers we had been treated to now. Before the game was finished Josh Davidson got in on the act to when he beat a couple of men to then unleash a pin point accurate effort across goal into the bottom left corner bringing the end to the goals scoring exploits of the home side in this very one sided affair.
Not a bad way to spend an evening. A very fine evening at that despite the temperatures heading towards a frosty night come the time the referee blew to end events. Some good players on show. Formartine had a solid defence. The Dee had a cracking solid centre half (number 3). Maybe when at a loose end in future I will head back to Pitmedden or even the Locos who are currently top of the 18s HFL better than being cooked up in the house
Entrance – Both Free
Attendance – 60 (Rough Head Count)
Pie – £4.50, pie, coffee, Twix
Pint – N/A
Score Predictions – Me 2 v 1 v Wee Man 2 v 0
Season Score Prediction Totals – Me 0 v 1 Wee Man
FITBAWBAG 