Formartine United extended their unbeaten run to 11 games after beating Turriff United 2-1 in the Breedon Highland League.
The North Lodge Park side made the best possible start after taking the lead through Kieran Adams on four minutes, before Paul Campbell added another on the seventh minute.
Turriff pulled a goal back two minutes before half-time as Liam Cheyne whipped in a free-kick that midfielder Keir Smith finished off from inside the box.
The 2-1 win means Formartine remain in third in the Highland League table, with Brora Rangers four points behind – but the Cattachs have three games in hand.
Formartine take commanding lead but Turra half the deficit
Formartine’s opener came from a free-kick after Mark Gallagher was hauled down. Daniel Park whipped in the set-piece and Adams found the back of the net with a powerful header from close range.
It was 2-0 after Julian Wade powered down the right flank to beat Turra’s Cheyne, before squaring the ball into the box which landed at the feet of Campbell.
The Formartine number nine was unmarked right on the penalty spot and calmly slotted the ball into the bottom corner beyond Turriff’s goalkeeper David Dey to make it 2-0.
After going 2-0 down, Ewan Clark saw a shot trail wide of the target, before Dean Donaldson’s side tried to hit Formartine on the break after their wasteful free-kick in the final third, but Callan Gray’s run was thwarted by Jonathan Crawford.
Turriff’s Dey prevented Formartine’s Campbell getting his second of the day after 20 minutes, as the away keeper blocked the forward’s effort with a good stop with his feet.
Graeme Rodger was next to have a go after he was played in by Campbell only a few yards out from goal, but keeper Dey was out to divert the Formartine skipper’s shot out for a corner.
From the subsequent set-piece, Crawford saw his thunderous header cleared off the line by Cheyne, despite the Formartine players claiming the ball had crossed the line.
At the other end, Turriff had a decent chance to get a goal back on 30 minutes, but Jack McKenzie’s strike from inside the box was well stopped by Ewen Macdonald.
Turra did go into the break with the deficit halved as Smith scored his second league goal of the season with a good finish from inside the box to beat Macdonald in the 43rd minute.
A goalless second half at North Lodge
After the interval, Formartine soon went close to a third as the home side hit Turriff on the break after a corner but Gallagher’s chipped effort landed the wrong side of the post.
At the other end, McKenzie won a free-kick from 20 yards out which Cheyne took but wasted as he attempted to play it short and the ball rolled out for a Formartine throw-in.
Turriff were awarded another free-kick after Adams took down Fergus Alberts, but this time Cheyne hit it straight at the Formartine wall.
It had been a second half with fewer clear-cut chances, but Wade did go close for Formatine as he rose the highest in a busy box from a corner but his header was saved by Dey.
Referee Duncan Nicolson delivered the final blow for Turriff as Dylan Stuart was shown a second yellow and subsequently sent off in the dying minutes.
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