Keith 1 v Aberdeen 2
CAMMY IS SPOT ON IN TESTIMONIAL
A Bruce Anderson double gave a youthful Aberdeen outfit a close victory by the odd goal in three last Saturday. The result of course was perhaps a bit irrelevant as the spectators had turned up in goodly numbers to pay homage to Keith's talismanic captain and centre forward Cammy Keith for his testimonial match.
The Maroons' all time top scorer with 235 goals to his credit, the ninth player to receive a testimonial game from the Club in the last 31 years, almost wrote the script when he raised the roof by equalising from the penalty spot.
The Number 9 got a rousing reception as he stepped out to a guard of honour comprising the two teams, with his daughter Elsie and his nephew Lio. Cammy had also commandeered the services of former team-mates, his brother Sean, Gary McNamee, Darren McAllister and Allan Fuller, to pull their boots back on.
In his third spell at Kynoch Park, stretching back to 2004, and 300 games as well as a league title, two League Cups and two Aberdeenshire District Shields, the atmosphere was one of wholehearted approval for a worthy recipient of such a game.
There was a glimmer of a goal for the man of the moment on the 15 minute mark, but the enclosure side assistant referee swiftly raised his flag for offside. The deadlock was broke seven minutes before half-time when Anderson gave David Dey no chance from 10 yards. Barely a minute earlier, Jamie Lennox scorned the chance to fire the Maroons ahead, but he hit his shot straight at the goalie.
Chances abounded at both ends after the break with Greg Simpson pulling of some fine saves, notably from Chris Antoniazzi and Seb Ross. At the other end Wayne Barron headed a fine Craig Macaskill cross over the bar. Then, Kynoch Park held it's breath in the 62nd minute when the Maroons were awarded a penalty for hand ball. Up stepped the main man to clinically slam home the award to rapturous applause.
Within three minutes, the young Dons regained the lead when Anderson clipped the ball beyond Simpson from 15 yards, but really it mattered not a jot. Simpson then denied Anderson his hat-trick when he parried his fierce drive.
The second half was littered with a procession of substitutions, more so by the homesters, in a bid to also give players more valuable match practice for the Highland League season kick off seven days later.
All in all, with the Keith FC Under 13's also providing half time entertainment with a small game, the spectators trooped out of Kynoch Park having been part of the tribute to a Keith FC legend in the shape of one Cammy Keith.
KEITH - Dey (Simpson 46), Young (Macaskill 46), Yeats (S Keith 73), J McAllister (McNamee 66), Robertson, Smith (Fuller 80), Lennox (Barron 53), Thomson (Plesca 77), C Keith (D McAllister 83), Gray( Brownie 53), Begg (Berton 65) Subs unused - Clark, Donaldson, Spink.
ABERDEEN - Jackson, Ramsay (Chesser 73), L Robertson (Turner 83), Virtanen, Bollan, Dalling, McLennan (Antoniazzi 32), S Ross, Anderson, Ruth (Shanks 80), E Ross (Hanratty 73), Sub unused - Linden.
Referee - Mr G Beaton.
Attendance - 400
Saturday 20th July 2019, KO 3pm
Report by Charlie Simpson