Strathspey Thistle 3 v Keith 1
OPENING DAY BLUES FOR THE MAROONS!
Ach, Keith started their 94th Highland League campaign with a defeat, but make no mistake, Strathy Jags are a different kettle of fish this season, and methinks they’ll upset quite a few sides this season. This was their first ever home win against Craig’s Commandos, stretching back to when they first entered the League in 2009.
The Maroons were missing key players Ryan Spink, Jordan Lynch and Horace Ormsby, who were all unavailable, but had Conor Bird, Reuben Skea and Jack Searle making their starting debuts. Fellow newbies Arran Paterson, Aaron Angus, Lee McAllister and Zak To started off on the subs bench.
Fitba’s all about scoring goals of course and it might have been a different outcome had home goalie Danny Gillan not made two quick fire saves in the 5th minute. Thereafter, there was little to shout about until 33 minutes on the clock, when the deadlock was broken completely out of the blue. Maroons goalie Craig Reid, in trying to hoof the ball upfield saw it ricochet off the back of Conor MacPhee, Shaun Morrison pouncing on the loose ball, to gleefully clip it into the empty net from 8 yards. Jings, I was rubbing my eyes in a bit of disbelief! That was calamatious with a capital C for sure!!
Maybe, Keith would make more of a fist of it in the second half, and on the hour mark there was a triple substitution in a bid to get back on terms. It had the adverse effect though, for seven minutes later more defensive dithering saw Morrison capitalise again, evading helpless Reid to tuck the ball home from 10 yards.
To be fair the Maroons kept plugging away and Lee McAllister, who’s Dad was joint top scorer in 1989-90, was denied by a fine Gillan block with 77 minutes played. Five minutes later though there was a glimmer of hope when Nathan McKeown turned well, inside the penalty area and cut the ball across for the alert Aaron Angus to slam into the onion bag from eight yards. Would this set up a Grandstand finish? Not on your Nelly, because with three minutes remaining, it was well and truly tatties ower the side! The homesters were allowed to surge through from the half line, and despite a couple of fine Reid stops, the ball landed out wide right and Josh Race unleashed a corker into the far top corner. No way back after that I’m afraid!
KEITH – Reid, Addison, R Robertson, Bird, Barron, Gill (C Robertson 77), Skea (Angus 60), McKeown, Duncan (McAllister 60), Cooper (To 60), Searle (Paterson 77). Subs unused – Ironside, Whyte, Killoh, Craib.
Referee - R McKinnon.
Saturday 26th July 2025, KO 3pm
Report by Charlie Simpson