Formartine are already beginning to seriously wonder if Buckie are going to be their Highland League bogey side after a second thistle sting in ten days and by precisely the same score each time.  The two games could not, however, have been more different.  The first was a league encounter played in fickle wind conditions that played a significant part in the outcome. The second was an Aberdeenshire Cup quarter final played in typical cup tie fashion with passion, gusto, and bags of end to end action and even occasional, but infrequent, silky moments. The Buckie blaw never came into it this time around but the final score was precisely the same.

                                   Buckie opened with a slick  4^th minute effort: new signing Sutherland sneaked in from the inside right channel and threaded the ball past Forsyth into the path of Brown who slipped it onto MacMillan whose fierce drive was blocked by Horne. The ball rebounded as far as MUNRO who dunted it home from about 8 yards out. Buckie showed their experience by not taking their foot of the pedal and tried to increase the pressure on Formartine. The visitors, however, had different ideas and gradually steadied the ship before ever so slowly, turning the tide. Vigurs was tireless in linking defence and forward line while Mackay and Somers began to get some supply with Marc Young and Cummings gaining cuttance in the wide areas. In the 25^th minute Marc Young hit a consummately judged cross to the head of SOMERS  who left Main clawing the sea air as his ferocious header thundered home. Game on!. The remainder of the half saw increased Formartine pressure as they showed the belief that they could possibly avenge their previous disappointment. For all their sustained pressure they produced but two more serious chances before the interval. The first fell again to Somers  as he marginally failed to connect with another superb Young cross and another when Main just managed to pluck the ball from the scalp of MacKay.

                                    At the other end Stewart, capitalised on a slip by Simpson to set up the chunky Brown but keeper Horne blocked superbly.

                                   The second period, like the first, began with a period of Buckie pressure. Formartine looked reasonably composed in defence and up front, Mackay after one of several Cannigia like runs was denied by a last ditch clearance from Small. In the 61^st minute, a one-two by Brown and MacMillan left the latter in one on one with Horne who did well to parry his first attempt. The ball, however, broke back to the forward and he gently lifted it over the prostatrate custodian and it trickled slowly into the net. Again Buckie tried to ram home the advantage and again Formartine clawed their way back into the tie. Action in midfield had assumed a rather towsy character and tackles, which had never been insipid in the first place, increased in both vigour and venom. Bookings for  Sutherland and Vigurs calmed things slightly and play became more patterned. In the 74^th minute, a break down the right flank by  MacKay was thwarted illegally by Shewan. Taking the free himself, the Kaiser found the head of Somers whose header was parried back to him as he followed in and astutely nicked the ball past Main from close in at the right.

                                    The next 15 minutes saw plenty of endeavour but limited penetration. Ally Graham squandered a cleverly timed cut back from Young by blasting the ball high, wide and not at all handsomely over the top. Shortly after Napier did much the same for Buckie. Extra time was looming and over 90 minutes had elapsed when Graham, inexplicably trying to play silky stuff way out of position near the centre circle, was  with criminal inattention, dispossessed by Napier who simply slipped a pace or two wider to cross the ball behind the defence to find MacMillan where Graham should have been in the first place and gratefully placed his free header beyond Horne to seal the match.

                                    The  subsequent Saturday League match away to Wick was postponed because of a water-logged pitch which left Formartine preparing for their first Highland League derby – against Inverurie Locos.  Many from Formartine took the free afternoon as an opportunity to have a good look  at their next opponents. The Buckie performances and what they saw at Harlaw on Saturday gave cause for some cautious optimism about  the Friday evening home tie that should attract huge interest.

                                 Teams: Buckie Thistle: Main,Angus, Shewan, Small,MacKinnon, Stewart, Brown MacMillan, Sutherland.

                                    Subs:Duguid, Bruce, Davidson, MacDonald, Strong .

                                    Formartine United: Horne,Seivewright, Graham, Irvine,Simpson Cumming,Young, Vigurs, Forsyth, MacKay, Somers.

                                     Subs: R. Maitland, A. Maitland, Shinnie, Morrison, Gray.