In this case Formartine, surrendering home advantage in order to get the first game under their belts since the week before Christmas, faced a rampant Broch who had built up a real head of steam, picking off matches when others had been cancelled to create an impressive run of six successive victories. Their seventh, against ring rusty Formartine, was hard won but merited.

Formartine opened as if they had never been away and initially looked likely to bring a summary end to the Broch's winning streak. Starting at a brisk pace they had the ball into the home box in the first minute when a cunning over the top plop by Vigurs landed between Coull and keeper Leask who reached the ball fractionally before the striker did.
In the sixth minute, Coull worked some magic in the box by screening and dragging the ball down the right hand line to the bye line.

Twisting and turning tortuously he saw off challenges by McBride and Ralph before squeezing in a very subtle little ball to the near post. BAGSHAW was onto it like lightning and forced it home from close range.

This was the perfect antidote to ring rustiness and Formartine tails were definitely up at this point. Quick thinking by Bagshaw saw off the offside trap to leave Coull in one on one with Leask. The keeper held his ground superbly and was able to beat away a fiercely struck shot.

Minutes later Fraserburgh worked the ball down the left flank and began to show what their recent run of form was based on. Hale had a free ranging forward role and the pace to menace the Formartine central defenders. In a swift, sweeping forward movement, starting with a run by Beagrie, Hale and Garden played a slick one two to take out Seivewright and Graham and set up GARDEN on the edge of the box. The recently prolific forward placed the ball calmly and very deliberately beyond the reach of keeper Gray for a 21st minute equaliser.

Formartine went straight back at their hosts and again got their noses in front. From a corner on the right the ball was played deeply back to the lurking Pat Vigurs. He struck it venomously goalward with a shot that almost flattened Hay on the goal line. MACKAY, predatory as ever, reacted instantly and flicked the ball into the net comfortably beyond the reach of Leask to restore the visitor's lead before the half hour.

Broch are superbly resilient and again pulled Formartine back to level. They knew the route to goal and using increased width in the central area they began to sustain pressure on an increasingly cluttered home box. In the 36th minute a Garden pile driver was scrambled clear but only as far as MAIN out wide on the left who threaded the ball very acutely through a phalanx of defenders and in at the far post to level.

The half ran out with increased fluency from Fraserburgh and an understandably tiring Formartine, beginning to lose shape. What had started as a 4-3-3 set up was beginning to look more and more like 4-2-2-2 as the home side gained increasing ascendency in the wide areas.

However, having been twice ahead, Formartine could still reflect on a first half performance that showed, some flare and an appetite for goals. The second half was a different affair. This time it was Fraser-burgh that started at full throttle and mounted a sustained onslaught on the visiting goal area that had Formartine well hemmed in and defending with a grim desperation.

The Broch pressure took less than 10 minutes to yield its reward.
With at least eight forward for the Broch and the same number back for Formartine the visitor's box was seriously congested.
Full back Hay somehow found the space to slip the ball to GARDEN who poked it home from close in.

With their noses in front for the first time Fraserburgh looked increasingly confident although Formartine were still making them fight all the way.

However the slickness that comes only from regular play was where the home side had the edge over a visiting team that was beginning to tire and in the process, lose shape and rhythm.

The 4-2-2-2 bit was beginning to show again as Broch gained more control of the wider areas.
One or two breaks by Somers through the inside right channel yielded shots that offered little challenge to Leask and it has to be said that
Formartine still had some spirit about them.
Fraserburgh were pretty well home and dry when HALE struck the goal of the game in the 69th minute. Garden had a speculative effort more or less cleared by Simpson - as far as a space about five or ten yards front right of the Formartine area.

Hale read the clearance superbly, nipped into the space and let fly with a vicious swerving and dipping shot that flew well beyond Gray.
Formartine made three substitutions in a few minutes around this period. Adam Maitland replaced Bagshaw, Fyfe took over from Young and Vigurs gave way to Shinnie.

This gave fresh legs and offered a glimmer of hope. With his first touch Fyfe hit a clever 20-yarder that deceived the home defence but rebounded to safety.

Two goals to the good, Fraser-burgh were never going to capitulate and Formartine although never giving up, never mustered further threat as the Broch ran on to completely victory number seven for as good a run as they have had in ages.

They deserve it although, however good they are moving forward, Formartine can take some satisfaction from the way they could expose the winners' defensive frailties.

Fraserburgh: Leask, Hay, Mc-Bride, Dickson, Ralph, Main, Baigrie,Garden, Hale, Johnstone, Main. Subs: Elrick, Wemyss, Morris, West, Dickinson.
Formartine United: Gray, Cum-ming, Graham, Seivewright, Simp-son, Bagshaw, Somers, Mackay, Coull, Young. Subs: A. Maitland, Fyfe, Irvine, Shinnie, Morrison.