PICTURES: First game in charge for new Keith manager Craig Ewen sees Maroons peg back Huntly to secure second consecutive Highland League draw
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NEW Kynoch Park boss Craig Ewen says Keith can start believing in themselves after Saturday's battling draw at Huntly.
Ewen took charge of the Maroons for the first time at Christie Park and saw them weather the storm of a strong start by the home side.
He admitted his team was lucky to be just 1-0 down at half time to Michael Clark's third minute opener.
Read more: New Keith boss is ready for Kynoch Park challenge.
But Ewen was impressed by a second half response which garnered a precious point thanks to Przemyslaw Nawrocki's equaliser ten minutes from time.
"I’m just delighted with the reaction at half time," he said. "Huntly started extremely quickly and they certainly could have been two or three goals up and we were struggling to cope in that first 25 minutes, to be honest.
Read more: Match report - Huntly 1 Keith 1.
"But a combination of some good goalkeeping and maybe just a wee bit of luck meant Huntly didn’t kill off their chances.
"We started getting a foothold about 25 minutes in but it was important to get in at half time no worse than 1-0 down, which we were able to do.
"In the second half we were excellent. We moved everything up a wee bit and played on the front foot, we had a good chance with a one versus one within five minutes and it gave them a wee bit of belief that they were good enough to get something from the game
"That continued for most of the half but you just felt 'was it going to be one of those days?'
"The two substitutes combined to get the goal. We are still depleted with the squad and 18-year-old Kian McCredie, who's a defender, came on up front when Andrew Stewart was struggling.
"He went up top with Przemyslaw who had come on ten minutes earlier and we were a bit more aggressive. Kian was able to turn and put a ball across the box and Przemyslaw was able to finish it.
"They showed a great amount of character and spirit in the second half and it was another positive result."
Ewen has been helped by former Deveronvale and Buckie Thistle defender Steven Rattray in the technical area - Rattray also helped Keith director of football Michael Brown in the previous week's game against Inverurie Locos, which finished 0-0.
He hopes to announce who will work as his assistant manager this week.
Tomorrow night Keith play host to Wick Academy, who Ewen has already faced this season when he was assistant at Forres Mechanics.
"I saw Wick in the first game of the season at Forres and they had a late equaliser, but in the first half in particular they were very good and created the better opportunities.
"They were worth their draw that day and they are a good side, so we will have to prepare properly for it.
"Hopefully within the next couple of weeks we should have some players back and we will look for a good result."
