Cammy Keith celebrates Highland League goal award after another great season as Keith captain
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SURPRISED and delighted to win the Highland League top scorer award for the third time, Keith hero Cammy Keith is already targeting his next goal milestone.
The Maroons skipper proved age is no barrier in the pursuit of putting the ball in the back of the net by finishing top league marksman again at the age of 32.
His 20 goals during the truncated Highland League campaign saw him edge out five players from top-placed clubs to claim the prize for the first time in eight years.
Cammy has now plundered a club record 257 goals for Keith, in addition to the 88 he netted in a spell at Formartine to total 345 in all Highland League competitions.
He is zooming in on the 350-goal milestone which would place him in the very elite band of forwards in the league history books to have reached such a total.
“It was slightly unexpected,” he said. “I wasn’t sure whether I was ahead on league goals or not.
“I knew that a couple of lads at Brora and Chris Angus from Locos were ahead of me on overall goals but I knew I had scored quite a lot of league goals.
“So it was really pleasing to win it. I’m just short of the 350 goals now so that will be the immediate target in the new season. Hopefully I can hit that milestone quite quickly.
Cammy finished top league and overall scorer twice before, in seasons 2010-11 and 2011-12. In both those campaigns he also won the Highland League player of the year.
At the start of his Keith career, he finished as the north’s top marksman in all competitions in the 2006-07 season, capping the Maroons’ treble-winning year. However, Cove Rangers’ Craig MacMillan pipped him to the league goals prize.
The club captain is particularly proud to regain his goal-king crown with a mid-table Keith side, in contention with strikers from top contenders.
“To get the most league goals was really pleasing, particularly for a team that’s finished ninth in the league, slap bang in the middle of the table and competing against a lot of good players who are playing for the top teams in the league.
“If anything I’m more proud to win this one considering where Keith are at the moment.
When I won the other two along with my player of the year awards, Keith were one of the top teams and you were getting more chances and scoring more goals as a team.
“It is tougher when you are mid table and trying to grind it out every week so I think that did make it all the more pleasing.
“I’m in great company with the other guys at the top of the scoring charts and obviously (Brora striker) Andrew Macrae has won the player of the year and I voted for him. You respect the guys you are up against.
“Even over the last few years I’ve always been around the top-five scorers in the league but it means a lot to win it and I guess it shows Keith are going in the right direction too.
“I’ve got to thank my team-mates, it’s them who have given me the opportunities to score and it’s good for a team finishing ninth in the league to get someone top scorer in the league.”
He’s also the oldest of the leading goal-getters, as he turned 33 in July but is showing the young guns the way to goal.
“The last time I won the top scorer was eight years ago.
“I’ve always been up there but you do begin to think that your days are numbered winning that type of awards.
“So it was really great to prove that I can still do it at this level, and even at my age I can still do it.
“It was my testimonial year as well so it was a nice way to round that off.”
A 30-goal tally wasn’t beyond Cammy’s reach if the season had been allowed to run to completion, but he’s happy with his lot.
“There were a few games left which on paper I did look at and think there was a chance of getting a few more goals.”
Football is at the back of his mind right now, as he focuses on family life with a brand new arrival to the household. His wife Suzanne gave birth to their son Caiden just days before the lockdown, a little brother for 15-month-old Elsie.
“It’s great spending so much time with my family.
"I’ve just been out running every day. You don’t even know when you return to pre-season, but we can only do fitness stuff to keep things ticking over with no real idea of when we’ll be back to it."
