Keith 1 v Rothes 0
MAROONS AT THE DOUBLE AGAINST ROTHES
Nathan McKeown’s first goal for four months paved the way to Keith notching their first league double over Rothes for nine seasons. Make no mistake though, despite the Tangerine Terrors sitting in the wooden spoon spot in the league table, this was no stroll under the dazzling Kynoch Park floodlights.
A string of missed chances could have come back to bite the Maroons in the bum, but the nerves were settled three minutes into the second half with wee Nathan’s 5th goal of the season.
The catalogue of injuries this season has been stupendous, and it was a gey threadbare squad, with a remarkable TEN players missing, nine through injury and on loan Cammy Wilson unavailable. Youngsters Connor Stuart and Finlay Murray stepped into the fray in the dying minutes to play their part.
This was the 158th league meeting between the sides, stretching back to 1939, indeed the very first Kynoch Park tussle came almost 86 years ago to the very day 1st April 1939, when the Speysiders were known as Rothes Victoria. The score-line? The Maroons won 3-1!
Anyway, furling forward in time in Charlie’s Tardis to Wednesday night, and Craig’s Commandos, under the able captaincy of Jordan Cooper, set to in a bid to erase the disappointment of last Friday’s reverse down at Banff.
Just over the quarter hour mark, the ball was pinging about in the Rothes six yard box like a “Pinball Wizard”, but Sean McCarthy was no “deaf, dumb and blind kid” as he somehow kept his charge intact. Then, with 35 minutes on the clock skipper “Coops” tried to lead by example, his curling 20 yarder whizzing inches over the bar. Jings, that was close!
Then, four minutes from the half-time cuppa, McCarthy dived full length to palm away a low Zane Laird shot from 10 yards – a fine save indeed, though perhaps the striker might have been more clinical. With half-time fast approaching Brody Alberts was ever so close with a bullet header – very close, but no cigar!
Goal-less at the break, those of us of a Maroon persuasion were asking ourselves – “Wiz this going to be one of those nights?” Well, three minutes after the half-time refreshment, our question was postively answered; the visiting rearguard tootled about trying to clear their lines, but wee buzzbomb Nathan punished them by ramming the loose ball home from eight yards. Ya wee beauty Nathan – bums aff the seats time!
There was no more scoring after that, though Rothes’ Andy Skinner caused our hearts to skip a beat in the dying minutes when his drive flashed inches past the upright – Phew!
Anyway, referee David Alexander blew his peeper to end a game that gave the Maroons a most welcome three points, league double over the visitors, a 6th clean sheet of the season, and an 8th game without any yellow or red cards – job done by a barebones squad on the night!
KEITH – Vitols, Lynch, Craib, Barron, Spink, Killoh (Stuart 90), Laird (Milne 79), McKeown, Alberts (Murray), Ormsby (Ironside 70), Cooper. Sub - Macleod.
Referee – D Alexander
Wednesday 2nd April 2025, KO 8pm
Report by Charlie Simpson