THIS was the concluding part of the double header that saw these two rivals square up to each other for the second successive Saturday.
With four of the available six points to their credit Formartine might conclude that they had a decent haul, b
ut there was also a sense that in this match it was there for their taking but an inability to convert first half superiority into goals eventually let a nimble, determined and quite well organised home side have a share of the points.
There was more height to this week's Brora side with the introduction of veteran midfielder "Daisy" Ross and central defender MacAngus. The Formartine line up was virtually unaltered with the exception of Bob Maitland starting and Bagshaw dropping to the bench until early in the second half.
Formartine started well and stood on little ceremony from the off as Marc Young got past McKie to ping a cross diagonally over the box to the head of Coull whose flashing header was pulled down from under the bar by the lanky MacCullum.
Formartine were playing some fast and quite slick stuff and the same Young - Coull combination but this time via a corner kick, almost paid off as the captain's header flashed across the goal face and past the keeper's right upright. Such was the Formartine pressure at this stage that another Young corner was headed narrowly wide right by centre back Simpson.
In 13 minutes, some silky stuff involving overlapping triangles played by Coull, Somers, and McKay saw Formartine waltzing through the home defence. Coull got almost to the bye line before clipping the ball neatly back to the advancing Winter at the edge of the area. A crisply taken shot was pushed round the corner to safety by the diving MaCulum.
For all the possession they had Formartine could not get the ball into the net and the longer this persisted, the more home confidence rose. Gradually Brora came into it. Ross was getting through a power of fetch and carry work and the cool head and quick feet of Farquhar worked the odd opening for the pacy Baxter and Cameron. One such saw the latter bring a good save from Gray who finger-tipped a 20 yarder past for an unrewarded corner.
Formartine were however still pretty well in the driving seat. On 20 minutes, a prodigious punt up the park by Gray was neatly head-flicked on by Coull to McKay who scooted past Neill and bore in on the advancing keeper. A quick shimmy saw him clear of the keeper but with the goal at his mercy his shot rebounded from the right upright and was hoofed to safety by the recovering Neill.
Three minutes later and the persistence of McKay snapping at the heels of Begg, forced a pass back that was grabbed by the keeper. The indirect free kick from near the penalty spot was a touch by Coull to Somers whose shot was headed off the line by Christie.
The referee noticed some encroachment and the kick was re-taken in the same manner. This time Somers' shot rebounded from the bar. Formartine had found the woodwork twice in almost as many minutes but still the ball resolutely refused to be buried and home confidence rose even further.
Some high tempo pass and move stuff between, Lamont, Cameron and Baxter ended with a skirling drive by the latter flashing past Gray's left post. At the other end Coull came close with a lob that just drifted over the top and as the half neared its goalless conclusion it was clear that Brora, with a little assistance from Lady Luck, having answered all the questions their visitors posed, were asking one or two of their own.
The second half began like the first with a Formartine onslaught. This time it was of a much more limited duration. However just as the game was entering a rather end to end phase 12 minutes into the half the visitors got their breakthrough with a rather route one effort.
Gray's punt up the park was poked on by Winter, having probably his most impressive game for the club, into the path of Coull who twisted and turned his way past MacAngus, drew MacCullum and hit the ball back across him and via the upright into the far corner of the net.
The effect was to energise Brora more than to settle Formartine and the homesters roared back in the quest for revenge. It took them only four minutes.
A cross field diagonal ball from Cameron on the left set Baxter free as the advancing Simpson slipped. The wee striker was bearing down on goal and although it looked like he had played the ball too far forward, the pursuing Irvine tried to reach it from behind the forward who went down in the box for an undisputed penalty. The striker dusted himself down, stepped up to the mark and coolly slotted the ball into the left corner.
The red card to Irvine whose disciplinary record has been immaculate was perhaps rather harsh and probably says more about he punctiliousness of an inexperienced referee than the gravity of the offence.
Against ten men, Brora established more territorial advantage over the next 20 minutes but just as when Formartine had been in the ascendant they were unable to capitalise on their pressure. McGuire and Simpson were earning their keep at the back as the former blocked a Lamont drive and the latter nudged a crafty wee shot by Farquhar to safety.
After weathering a bit of a storm after the sending off and the Brora equaliser, Formartine began to sustain pressure on the Brora rearguard. Shots by sub Bagshaw and Coull were close but not close enough. A header by Somers was saved by MacCullum and a high lob from Coull landed on the roof of the net. They threw all they could at the Cattachs but were unsuccessful.
They probably did enough to win the game but like many other sides this season they found Brora hard to break down.
Brora Rangers: MacCullum, McKie, Christie, Begg, Neill, MacAngus, Ross, Farquhar, Baxter, Lamont, Cameron. Subs: MacIntosh, McKernie, Gunn, Fraser, Bell.
Formartine United: Gray, Graham, Irvine, McGuire, Simpson, McKay, Maitland, Somers, Winter, Coull, Young. Subs: Vigurs, Bagshaw, Fyfe, A. Maitland, MacAskill.
