Strathspey Jags fade after bright start
STRATHSPEY Thistle could not have made a better start to Saturday’s game as they opened the scoring with just 11 minutes on the clock.
Bobrowski rose to meet Euan Donaldson’s free kick into the box and the Polish striker’s powerful downward header bounced into the corner of the net.
Strathspey survived two Formartine efforts off Andrew Bagshaw corners in the space of just three minutes.
Firstly, Jason Coyle volleyed into the welcoming arms of goalkeeper Willie Ridgers before Mark Smith blasted over.
However, parity was restored with Fraser Munro was judged to have fouled Coyle in the box with Michael McGinlay stepping up to stroke home the penalty kick.
Ridgers was called into action again on 30 minutes when he parried a McGinlay header following a Callum Bagshaw free kick into the danger area with the Strathspey defence alert enough to mop up the danger.
However, it was Thistle who came closest to taking a lead in with them at the break.
In the final minutes of the half, good play down the left between Donald Horsburgh and Joe Hardie released Jamie Rodgers.
The midfielder’s cross was headed out by Smith but only as far as Bobrowski, who saw his header drift over the crossbar.
The longer the game went on, the more important it looked the third goal of the match was going to be and, unfortunately for the Jags, it fell the way of Formartine on 63 minutes.
Neil McVitie fed Coyle up the right wing and his cross was nodded home by the unmarked McGinlay for his second of the game.
Just nine minutes later, Barrie Stephen was afforded the room in the box to slot home a Callum Bagshaw cross.
Richard Davidson then struck the Strathspey crossbar with his header from a Stephen corner before the hosts put the game out of sight on 79 minutes.
A flowing move saw Davidson send Coyle racing down the right wing and his low cross was netted by Stuart Soane’s diving header.
Another Coyle cross in injury time provided the hosts with their fifth goal of the afternoon as his delivery was volleyed home by Stephen to complete the scoring and leave Strathspey to reflect upon what might have been, although their fate in the league this season is unlikely to be decided by the outcome of trips to face the likes of Formartine.
Formartine United: Bremner, McVitie, Robertson, Davidson, Campbell (Bailey 75), Smith, Coyle, C. Bagshaw, McGinlay, A. Bagshaw (Soane 69), Stephen. Subs: MacAulay.
Scorers: McGinlay (28 pen, 63), Stephen (72, 90), Soane (78).
Strathspey Thistle: Ridgers, Horsburgh, Wardrope, Mochan, Munro, Rodgers (Tulloch 69), Hardie, Swinton, Bobrowski, Ross (Whyte 82), Donaldson. Subs: Macleod, Rothney, Robertson (gk).
Scorers: Bobrowski (11).
Booked: Hardie (73), Swinton (77).
Referee: Calum Spence.