THE season just ended proved to be a bad one for Luthermuir FC. They finished second bottom of Division One North and were relegated for the second successive season.
Relegation means Luthermuir will play in the third tier of Aberdeenshire Amateur football next season for the first time since 1995. Back in 1995, Luthermuir won promotion for the fifth successive season since joining the league, when they climbed
from the then Division Three to Division Two.
Luthermuir can consider themselves unlucky to be relegated as they finished just three points from safety. They drew nine times and of the 13 games they lost, an incredible ten were by a single goal margin.
Luthermuir won only once at home, 4-2 against Alford and drew four times. Their only home thumping proved to be a vital one, 5-1 against Bridge of Don who just escaped relegation.
Away from home, Luthermuir beat Ferryhill, Bucksburn and Newmachar and drew five times.
Their complete league record was: Kincorth L0-1 (h) L1-4 (a); Cowie Thistle L2-4 (h) L3-4 (a); Dyce L3-4 (h) L1-2 (a); Woodside L1-2 (h) L1-2 (a); Old Aberdonians L1-2 (h) D0-0 (a); Sportsman's L1-2 (h) D4-4 (a); Torry United L1-2 (h) D0-0 (a).
Blackburn D1-1 (h) D3-3 (a); Alford W4-2 (h) L2-3 (a); Ferryhill D1-1 (h) W2-0 (a); Bridge of Don L1-5 (h) D3-3 (a); Bucksburn D1-1 (h) W4-2 (a); Newmachar D1-1 (h) W2-1 (a).
Luthermuir had a home record of W1 D4 L8 F18 A28 Pts7 and an away record of W3 D5 L5 F26 A28 Pts14 for an overall W4 D9 L13 F44 A56 Pts21.
Kincorth were champions with Cowie Thistle also promoted and Newmachar and Bucksburn go down with Luthermuir.
Luthermuir didn't have a great time in cup competition. In the Scottish Cup they saw off lower league opposition Halliburton and Continental, then lost 4-1 in the third round to Glasgow side Harmony Row Youth.
In the North of Scotland Cup, there was a creditable win over Rattray's X1, then a disastrous 3-2 defeat at home to lowly Theologians in the third round.
Mearns rivals Bervie Caley won 2-1 at Luthermuir in the first round of the Association Cup. There was a 1-0 defeat at Ellon in the AFC Trophy and a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Cowie Thistle in the Stephen Shield.
Luthermuir scored nine cup goals, giving them a total of 53 for the season.
Murdoch Anderson was top scorer with eleven goals, followed by Euan Duff with eight and Ryan Arthur with seven.
Other tallies were Jimmy Reid and Richard Fotheringham with six, Graeme Ferris and Neil Arthur with four, Neil Forbes and Iain Stuart with two and Andrew Hadden, Hamish Stuart and Martin Pearson with one.
There was one hat-trick, Euan Duff in a 4-2 league win at Bucksburn.
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