Turriff Utd 1 v Keith 2

A SPRING IN KEITH’S STEP!

I’m sure abiddy is aware that it was the Spring Equinox on Friday – Spring has sprung! Well, there was also a spring in Keith’s step at The Haughs on Saturday as they made it seven consecutive league wins for the first time in 26 years – yep, back to the heady days of 2000, when the Millennium Champions were in their pomp.

Quick question – How do you spot a Keith fan these days?
Answer – They’re walking around with big grins as wide as the River Isla!

This was no walk in the park though at Turra as Highland League games are all hard. This was no exception, with both sides being in good form, so to come away with that triumph deserves a massive pat on the back. Essentially a team performance, but the goal heroes were Craig Gill and Tristan Stephen, propelling the Maroons back up into a lofty, and deserved, 7th place.

All the more credit for the fact that captain Ryan Spink clearly wasn’t 100% fit and had to be replaced at half-time. Allied to that, the Maroons were also minus Jordan Lynch, Ryan Robertson, Horace Ormsby and Jack Searle, so the subs bench had a rather threadbare look to it.

Yet we were exercising our vocal chords after only four minutes when 17 year old Stephen was sent tumbling inside the penalty area. Up stepped Gill to stroke home the spot kick, becoming the 113th Maroon to convert a penalty from open play – “Gilly ya beauty”! we all howled.

Of course, Turra have a potent strike force, and they started driving forward, pinging in high balls, and from one such cross in the 26th minute, a Miller Reid shot was blocked and Mackenzie Taylor pounced to rifle home a low drive from 16 yards.

The homesters weren’t giving the visiting rearguard a minute’s peace to be honest, and the Maroons  had Craig Reid to thank for a brilliant point blank stop, keeping a powerful Reid header out of the net four minutes from the half-time cuppa.

Even with Ronan Craib replacing the struggling Spink after the break, Keith looked more intent, and there was a madcap few minutes due to unravel. On the hour mark, a Zak To free kick to the back post saw Stephen neatly head the ball back across goals into the far corner of the net. Up aff oor seats in the time honoured fashion and howling “Ya Beezer Tris, get in there”!

Barely two minutes later, Turra were reduced to 10 men when Glen Donald, booked earlier, got a second yellow for felling Stephen in the middle of the park.  Although a man down, that didn’t stop Greg Moir’s men from battling to get that elusive leveller.  The leveller remained just that..elusive, as the Maroons doggedly kept driving on to the last sound of the referee’s peeper.

Now, you don’t have 13 wins, 3 draws and 1 defeat from 17 outings by pure luck, so the Maroons are where they are on merit. It’s a fact that all runs come to an end, but in the meantime, Craig’s Commandos are in the middle of a purple patch, and fans of a Maroon persuasion are rightly enjoying the moment.

KEITH – Reid, Barron, C Robertson (Addison 76), Bird, Spink (Craib 46), Gill, Stephen, McKeown, Cooper, To, Ironside (Nicol 62). Subs unused – Duncan, Smith.

Referee – M Bolton

Saturday 21st March 2026, KO 3pm
Report by Charlie Simpson