Formartine United are now the only remaining Highland League side in the national competition as a demolition job on their Scottish League opponents sets them up for a Scottish Cup 4th Round away trip to Partick Thistle at Firhill
Formartine boss Kris Hunter said: “It was one of the best performances in my time as a Manager, it’s the first time my team has got to this round. It’s an honour for me, I did it once during my time in charge at Fraserburgh.
The workrate and effort from the players was there to be seen from the first whistle to the last. I asked the players to gamble a bit more in the second half and they did that. It’s a great result for the club and one we more than deserved.
It beggars belief how we can at times put in some indifferent performances but that’s life. There’s a lot of unfair things said and written about our club,about me and the best Chairman I’ve had, Atholl Cadger. So this result’s for him and the people working tirelessly behind the scenes.
We’ve set the standards now, we know what this team’s capable of , I kept saying when we get players returning to fitness and giving us options, we’d be a better team
Graeme Rodger was head and shoulders above anyone else, also Jamie Masson giving his best performance in a Formartine jersey.At the back Shane Jamieson who we picked up for nothing was a stand out along with Callum Dingwall in fact the whole back four , behind them a 20 year old goalkeeper Ewan MacDonald, one for the future
It was very hard for Conor Gethins doing all the travelling but I knew he was a great professional who will never let the club down , he’s a goalscorer who never turned his back on us.
After his long service to Fraserburgh Russell McBride will join us until the end of the season, he gives us a presence we’ve been lacking . A leader, an organiser he’s a free agent, I wasn’t going to let that slip past us .He’ll improve us at the back”
The first half was goalless although the Pitmedden side came closest to breaking the deadlock three minutes from the interval when Graeme Rodger running into the box to meet a clearance sent his right foot drive narrowly past Blair Currie’s left post
Gethins opened the scoring eleven minutes after the restart with a header close to the goal line from an inch perfect cross by Jamie Masson
The follow up goal was three minutes later when Gethins’ right foot free kick took a massive deflection off the top of the visitors’wall deceiving Currie going the other way
The tie was all over ten minutes later after Currie failed to save Masson’s sidefoot cross and Scott Barbour netted from close range with an easy tap in
Gethins duly completed his hat trick when Rodger’s excellent ball from the right was well controlled and the finish from the former Ross County ,Finn Harps,Peterhead and Nairn County striker was top class, a low shot firmly into the net
Annan boss Jim Chapman said: “This game demonstrates the naievety and lack of experience within the squad. We knew it would be a tough game and it was very challenging and we take nothing away from Formartine, They thoroughly deserved it on their second half performance. The first goal in a game changes things. All we can do is learn the lessons”
