Broughty Athletic were back to league business today when they entertained Downfield in a North Division league fixture at Whitton Park this afternoon.

Considering the recent weather and that a game had been played on it last weekend, the pitch was looking well and a good match was anticipated.

The Downfield squad included ex-Broughty players Stuart Farquharson, Mark Ferrie, Chris Fordyce and Jon Snowdon while in the Broughty ranks were ex Spiders Lee Bertie and Graham Allan.

Manager Kenny Cameron made two changes from the previous week's starting line up, with Bruce Raffell and Lindsay Gray replacing Lee Bertie and Graham Allan.

There was a decent crowd inside the ground approaching kick off time.

In an evenly contested first ten minutes, both sides looked up for the game seeing plenty possession of the ball.

In the eleventh minute the home side created their first chance of the game with Fordyce denying Craik, then Gray with two fantastic saves.

Downfield had their first opportunity of the game in the fifteenth minute when the dangerous Farquharson fired in a twenty-five yard effort which was well saved by Fed keeper Cormack.

Broughty were reduced to ten men in the twentieth minute when Farquharson saw red after an altercation with Tinley in the middle of the park. The ref had no hesitation in ordering off the Broughty player and leave the home side to play for the remainder of the game a man down.

This only spurred the home side forward and both MacLeod and Craik went close with drives from outside the box.

Broughty again came close when Russell's shot in the thirtieth minute hit the bar and rebounded away to safety with Fordyce well beaten.

The home side did go ahead in the thirty-fifth minute when a diagonal ball into the box from Russell found the unmarked CRAIK who volleyed home from eight yards.

Gray's movement was causing the Spiders defence problems and he was unlucky to see a shot well saved again from Fordyce in the fortieth minute.

Broughty did take a deserved two goal advantage right on half time when BROWN nodded home a Smith corner.

Half Time: Broughty Athletic 2 Downfield 0

Downfield made a change at half time, with Payne replacing Potter.

Broughty went three up in the forty-sixth minute when Snowdon brought down Russell in the box. RUSSELL took the kick himself and made no mistake.

The home side were very much on top and were producing some fine passing moves and creating lots of chances.

They eventually went four up when RUSSELL scored from a twenty-five yard free kick which gave Fordyce no chance.

Broughty were dealing with anything that the visitors threw at them with Cormack only really having to deal with shots from distance.

That changed in the seventieth minute when after some slack play in the Broughty defence Tinley was brought down. FARQUHARSON scored from the resultant spot kick.

Broughty increased their lead in the seventy eighth minute when a Russell free kick was headed home by MYLES.

The home side scored their sixth goal of the afternoon in the eighty-first minute when RUSSELL finished well after a fine run.

Keeper Fordyce was keeping the score down with a series of fine saves for the visitors.

Broughty eventually scored the final goal of the afternoon when RUSSELL finished off a fine move when he fired home from eight yards in the eighty-eighth minute.

The referee brought to an end a game where Broughty ran out deserved winners and were impressive throughout, especially considering they played around seventy minutes with ten men.

Broughty Athletic: A Cormack, Brown, Raffell (R Cormack), Smith, Russell, Craik (Perera), MacLeod, Myles, Gray (Cameron), Burns, Farquharson

Downfield: Fordyce, MacDonald, Ferrie, Dammer, Potter (Payne), Tinley (Stevenson), Watt, Rollo, Snowdon, Farquharson, Dignan (Tovey)