Manager Stuart Anderson was pleased Formartine United stalwarts Johnny Crawford and Stuart Smith were able to sign off with a win in their final home game.
The Pitmedden outfit defeated Nairn County 2-0 at North Lodge Park courtesy of goals from Crawford and sub Scott Adams.
Defenders Crawford, who has been with Formartine for 10 years, and Smith – who has spent 14 years with United – will retire after the final game of the season against Clachnacuddin at Grant Street Park on Saturday.
Anderson said: “It was a pleasing result, I asked the boys to get three points in our last home game and they’ve done that.
“It was fitting Johnny got the first goal and then Scott came on and scored a great goal.
“I’d planned to take Johnny and Stuart off at the same time, but we ended up keeping Johnny on because he was marshalling the back four excellently.
“The reception Stuart got when he came off (in the 87th minute) was nice and it’s something he and Johnny deserved because they’ve both been great servants to Formartine United.
“They’ve made a massive contribution. They’re great individuals off the park and on the park if you think of Formartine United over the last 10 years you think of them.
“They’ll be a massive miss, but Johnny takes the Under-21s and I think Stuart is going to help with that as well.
“With their family lives they’re ready to step away from playing, but they’ll always be welcome here.”
Match action
It was the home side that came closest to the making the breakthrough in the first half.
After half an hour Michael Dangana’s shot from 20 yards was spilled by Nairn goalkeeper Dylan MacLean, who then reacted well to block Marc Lawrence’s attempt on the rebound before Brodie Watson cleared Glenn Murison’s follow-up header off the line.
Shortly after Formartine’s Matthew McLean nodded narrowly over from a Tyler Mykyta corner.
In the second period Lawrence was unable to hit the target from 12 yards, while at the other end County sub Ben Kelly curled an effort just wide from the edge of the area.
On 70 minutes the visitors had a good chance on the counter-attack. Andrew Greig and Scott Lisle combined on the right, but despite having Ben Barron and Calum MacKay available in the centre of the box, Lisle opted to shoot from a narrow angle and goalkeeper Grant Corbett saved at his near post.
Veteran makes the breakthrough
Seven minutes later Formartine broke the deadlock. Sub Robert Ward’s inswinging corner from the left broke for fellow sub Paul Campbell at the back post and his delivery back across the face of goal was turned into the bottom left corner by Crawford’s diving header.
In the 86th minute Adams settled the outcome as he wriggled into space on the left side of the box and finished superbly into the top right corner.
Formartine are eighth in the Breedon Highland League, while Nairn remain 13th and finish their campaign at home to Deveronvale on Saturday.
Interim County manager Brian Macleod said: “I said to the boys that this game summed up our season – not ruthless enough when opportunities came our way and in the our box we lost a poor first goal.
“In the first half I thought we did a lot of good things and played OK, but we weren’t clean enough with our final pass or cross.
“In the second half we rode our luck a couple of times and it felt like the goal was coming for Formartine.”
Keith 1-4 Strathspey Thistle
Strathspey Thistle recorded their fourth win of the season with a convincing victory against Keith on a fiery Kynoch Park surface, thanks in part to a well-taken double from Daniel Whitehorn.
The home side opened the scoring in the third minute when Nathan McKeown won the ball, and ran on to beat two Strathspey Thistle defenders before planting the ball wide of Euan Storrier in the Jags’ goal from 15 yards for his sixth goal of the season.
In the 36th minute Strathspey drew level when attacker Whitehorn, who is also the club chaplain, capitalised on indecision in the Maroons’ defence to nip in between two defenders and cleverly chip the ball over the advancing Connor Macleod from just inside the box.
Four minutes after the restart Strathspey Thistle took the lead when Keith failed to clear a corner kick and Cameron Lisle sent a sublime lob up and over stranded keeper Macleod from 22-yards.
Five minutes later Liam Shewan should have made it 3-1 but he fired the ball past the post from six yards.
Keith almost equalised three minutes later when Jordan Cooper’s snap-shot from the edge of the box rebounded off the inside of the post into the arms of keeper Storrier.
In the 75th minute Strathspey made it 3-1 when substitute Paul Brindle netted from the penalty spot after Dylan Lawrence went down in the box under a challenge from Michael Ironside.
With two minutes to go Strathspey made it 4-1 when Whitehorn grabbed his second goal of the night with a looping header from a deep corner kick.
Huntly 0-1 Fraserburgh
Fraserburgh left it late to earn a 1-0 victory in a tightly fought contest at Huntly.
The hosts went close to breaking the deadlock after five minutes when a Kai Watson through ball played in Sam Robertson whose shot was blocked by Joe Barbour.
The rebound spun back to Robertson whose headed effort was cleared from goal by Lewis Davidson.
Huntly kept the pressure on the visitors with Ryan Sewell threading a pass to Lewis Crosbie but Joe Barbour produced a good save.
On the quarter-hour mark, Callum Murray delivered from the left for Cameron Heslop who lifted a shot over as the home side pushed for the opener.
Good attacking play from Huntly saw Matthew Wallace cross for Robertson but his header finished the wrong side of the post.
At the other end, Sean Butcher’s effort came back off the post. Fraser Mackie was quick to the rebound but home debutant George Ritchie did well to smother the follow-up.
Five minutes into the second half, Alexander Jack crossed for Robertson but Joe Barbour saved at his near post.
There was controversy on the hour mark when Joe Barbour handled a Greg Buchan pass-back.
Ryan Sewell rolled the free kick to Brodie Allen who powered the ball into the net but referee Darren Munro chalked the goal off and ordered a retake. The same two combined at the second attempt but Allen’s effort was blocked.
With eight minutes remaining, Scott Barbour’s corner was headed on by Jamie Beagrie for Willie West to head home his third goal of the season.
Huntly passed up a great chance with minute left when Owen Morris blazed over from close range.
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