Champs dream of second Highland League title fading fast

Keith 2 Forres Mechanics 1

A 2-1 defeat saw Forres Mechanics slip down to eighth and almost certainly killed off any hopes they may have held on to of retaining their Highland League title. The Can Cans are now 12 points behind leaders Wick Academy (who have a game in hand) and will this weekend host Steve Paterson’s Formartine side who are currently four points better off with five games in hand.

Nevertheless there was more then enough in the performance at Kynoch Park to leave manager Charlie Rowley with some lingering festive cheer as he looks at the bigger picture at Mosset Park.

Reflecting on Saturday afternoon the Can Cans gaffer felt it was a game his team could and should have won, “It is hard to say that you can ever really be pleased with a game when you are defeated but there was a lot about Saturday that was positive.

“We played particularly well, especially in the first half. We had complete dominance in the early stages and should have been three nil up. We missed two gilt edged chances and created two or three other good opportunities.

“We were disappointed not to have got our noses in front and then we were hit with a sucker punch from Keith before the break that left us 1-0 down at half time. It was not what we expected or deserved from the first half and we were on a wee bit of a downer at that point.

“We asked them to go out and play the same way again although I felt that Keith played a bit better in the second half. They are always a threat with Cammy Keith and Jonny Smith up front and there was not much between the teams after the break.

“We got back onto level terms and then conceded another just a short time after and that is probably the most disappointing aspect of the game as we had got back into the game but, on the whole there were a lot of positives to take from the game. Unfortunately the result wasn’t one of them.”

One of the star turns for the Mechanics was new arrival Ross Archibald who netted the leveller. Rowley was pleased with the player’s debut and praised his involvement in the game,

“I was impressed with his all round game, everyone will naturally be thinking that we bought him just for his goals, but his all round play on Saturday was more than I could have hoped from a player on his debut

“If he was not our best player he was very close to it and was one of the star performers on the pitch. He was a real threat and that bodes well for the weeks and years to come.”

Keith came into this game on the back of three successive victories but it was the Mechanics who took the game by the scruff of the neck. They pressed their opponents back dominating the possession and on field position. Unfortunately they couldn’t turn that into a lead.

Craig McGovern was played in behind the defence as he came in from the left. The former Maroons winger drilled a shot in at the near post but it was well saved by keeper Murray Kinnaird.

The young stopper then gifted the Chocolate and Golds an opening when he came out to clear a throughball, however he sclaffed his attempted boot upfield and the ball fell to Scott Lawrie, 30 yards from goal. Unusually he failed to take advantage of the opportunity, missing the vacant goal.

McGovern and Lawrie were then to team up to create further confusion in the Keith rearguard. Gov’s delivery seemed perfect for Lawrie but the ball came off the strikers face rather than his forehead. Even then the four yard effort very nearly squirmed past Kinnaird who managed to keep it out, just.

Keith’s best effort of the opening 20 minutes had been an Andy Macaskill effort from 20 yards that was easily gathered in by Stuart Knight, however despite being on the back foot for long spells in the half it was the Maroons who went in front.

Ten minutes before the break. Cammy Keith came short to collect the ball and feed it wide to Craig Phillips before turning to charge into the box. When the full back delivered the cross the reigning Highland League Player of the Year managed to nip in front of Stuart Knight to direct the ball into the back of the net.

It was extremely harsh on the Mechanics who had racked up over half a dozen corners in the first half but despite a couple of skirmishes had failed to find the back of the net. Despite the second half not being quite as one sided the Mechanics got the goal they craved.

Good build up play involving Graham Fraser saw the ball eventually find its way to debutant Ross Archibald and the livewire striker wasted no time in directing a low shot into the back of the net.

It was game on again, but ten minutes later Keith struck a killer blow with yet another sucker punch that was sparked by the progress of right back Craig Phillips. This time “Snowy” went for glory but was to be denied by Graeme Grant only for the ball to spin into the path of Jonathan Smith who lashed home the winner.

It was a sickener for the Mechanics who are now set to host Formartine on Saturday, assuming the remedial work being done on the drainage at Mosset Park has an immediate effect and the winter chill doesn’t bite too hard.

Keith: M Kinnaird, C Phillips, S Walker, G McNamee, R Campbell, B Raffell (A Anderson 85), M McCulloch, A Macaskill, C Keith, J Smith, S Keith Subs: C Macaskill, K Niddrie, Z Jack, R Horne

Scorers: C Keith (35), J Smith (70)

Booked: M McCulloch (69) Sent Off: -

Forres Mechanics: S Knight, G Fraser, S Allan, G Grant, S Fraser, M McMullan, R Archibald, K Duguid, S Lawrie (D Jones 82), K Scott, C McGovern Subs: R Mackintosh, N Sharp, D Howard, S McIntosh

Scorer: R Archibald (60)

Booked: - Sent Off: -

Referee: C Sim

Gazette Gold Star: New signing Ross Archibald marked his debut with a goal and looked lively throughout the ninety minutes and although the final result was not what he would have wanted he can be pleased with his initial efforts. More of the same from Ross and the results will follow.