Formartine United v Forfar Athletic – match preview

The ‘Loons’ take a break from cinch league2 action on Saturday first to concentrate on Scottish Cup second round action.

Gary Irvine and his squad head north to Pitmedden to face Highland League side Formartine United on the back of a 2-0 home win over Annan Athletic last weekend and also hoping to extend an unbeaten four game run.

The two sides have already met in competitive action this season back in mid August at Station Park in the first round of the SPFL Trust Trophy.

That evening a Matty Aitken goal in the 16^th minute separated the side, although it would only be fair to say that men from Aberdeenshire squandered a couple of late chances to take the game to a penalty shoot- out.

Formartine however have the upper hand on the Athies as far as our head to head record goes in the Scottish Cup.

On the only occasion the sides have ‘crossed swords’ it was the home side who triumphed courtesy of a Jonathan Crawford strike at North Lodge Park in November of 2017.

Back to the present and Gary Irvine who fielded the same starting eleven for the second game in a row last week is unlikely to make many if any changes for this Saturday’s tie, a match of significant importance to both clubs.

Although never quite hitting their peak form against the Galabank outfit last Saturday, the three points were fairly comfortably attained thanks to goals from Andy Munro his first of the season and Stefan McCluskey’s fifth of the campaign to date.

That second goal on the hour was a well worked team effort, Stefan adding the final touch to a fast and pleasing to the eye move down the right flank.

The ‘Loons’ who reached the last sixteen of the national tournament last season, undoubtedly the highlight of the campaign, before losing out to Dundee United in a live televised fixture received good news from both Aberdeen and Dundee this week.

Mark Gallagher and Luke Strachan both regulars in the Athies starting eleven in recent times have both been given permission by their parent clubs to play for Forfar in the national tournament.

The tie will probably come to quick for Jamie Ness and Steven Doris who continue to recover from recent injury setbacks.

Saturday’s opponents managed by Paul Lawson who recently passed a personal milestone of having been in charge for 150 competitive games currently sit seventh in the Highland League table with a points haul of 25 from 13 games played.

Last Saturday they defeated second bottom of the table Turriff United 5-0 at Pitmedden with five different players getting on the score sheet, after earlier in the month having suffered the disappointment of losing 4-1 to Banks O’ Dee in the Aberdeenshire Cup Final.

It will certainly be no easy task for Ross Meechan and his colleagues on Saturday, a fact that will no doubt have been hammered home to them by Gary and his coaching team at training this week.

Incidentally if the match on Saturday ends all square after 90 minutes, the replay would take place at Station Park on Saturday week the 30^th of October.

Calum Scott will be the man in charge of Saturday’s proceedings.

Admission charges are £10 for adults, £5 concessions.

Formartine have advised that proof of age may well be requested in certain circumstances at the concession entry point.

Hopefully quite a few ‘Loons’ supporters will make the relatively short journey to the north of the Granite City to give their most welcome support to the team on the day.