Keith 0 v Brechin City 5
MAROONS HIT BY BRECHIN NAP HAND
To be perfectly honest nobody expected the Maroons to get anything out of this fixture with Brechin City, the Hedgemen likely to be one of the main title contenders. So it proved, yet for the opening 35 minutes Craig’s Commandos matched the highly rated visitors.
By the way, anybody who keeps records as I do, should do an amendment with Lee McAllister scoring the consolation on Saturday, not Aaron Angus as first thought.
Amongst the goodly crowd at Kynoch Park were three English Groundhoppers in the shape of Keith Pope, Dave Johnson and Rob Holmes. Apart from the result, the trio enjoyed their “Field of Dreams” experience.
The Maroons looked sprightly in the opening stages, and with 20 minutes played, a Jordan Lynch cutback across the 6 yard box saw McAllister just fail to get a touch, Ach! Then at the other end on the half hour mark Craig Reid pulled off a superb diving save to keep out Cillian Sheridan’s head flick.
Five minutes later, out of the blue, the deadlock was broken when Mitch Taylor whipped a low 20 yarder into the back of the net. Then, three minutes later, John Moreland clinically slotted home from 10 yards after Grady McGrath’s shot was blocked.
You know, Keith weren’t playing badly, though Reid had to look lively again, denying Fraser MacLeod, whilst young Zak To saw his low 18 yarder fingered round the post by Craig Hepburn a minute before half-time.
City seemed to change their formation after the break and found the old onion bag again in the 53rd minute, MacLeod scrambling the ball over the line from a couple of yards. Keith heads didn’t go down though and Jack Searle’s surging left wing run on the hour mark saw his cross fired goalward by To, only for his effort being blocked. Then a flashing left wing drive from Liam Duncan flew narrowly past the far post with 74 minutes on the clock. Sadly, four minutes later, Brechin were to the “four” when Findlay rifled home a low drive from just inside the box. The same player made it a nap hand in the dying seconds, crashing a 12 yarder into the net.
You can’t argue with the fact that the score-line was what it was, but the Maroons battled gamely throughout, and Lady Luck just wasn’t in a smiley mood.
KEITH – Reid, Addison, Lynch (Whyte 85), Bird, Spink, Gill, To (Cooper 85), McKeown, Ironside (Duncan 65), McAllister (Paterson 65), Searle (Angus 78). Subs unused – Barron, C Robertson, R Robertson, Skea.
Referee – H Bruce
Wednesday 30th July 2025, KO 8pm
Report by Charlie Simpson