Rothes score five without reply against Keith in Highland League Moray derby at Kynoch Park
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Keith’s lack of a cutting edge didn’t help their cause against unbeaten North of Scotland Cup winners Rothes on Saturday.
With the score sitting at 1-0 to the Speysiders, Andy Stewart squandered a gilt edged chance to level, and within a minute the Maroons were trailing by another goal.
Following the disappointing display at Banff three nights earlier, Keith showed more fight and enthusiasm despite still having a string of injuries and Luke Emmett missing his first match of the season due to suspension.
Eighteen-year old goalie Kyle Irvine, replacing the injured Craig Reid certainly proved his worth with one or two fine saves and also showed good handling.
It was end to end in the opening stages, and Irvine pulled off a fine save to deny Lewis Hyde.
However, he was left helpless with 32 minutes gone, as an Aidan Wilson low shot crept in at the youngster’s right hand post.
Five minutes later a surging Tom Andrews run saw the midfielder whip over a perfect cross, only for Stewart to blaze wildly over the bar from six yards.
A costly missed as barely a minute later, although there was a hint of offside, Fraser Robertson ran through to blast high into the roof of the net.
The Maroons shoved Rothes on the back for a fifteen minute spell just after the break, but the nearest they came was a Michael Selfridge fierce drive that was deflected for a corner.
Again, lack of firepower was a hindrance as the visitors broke on the hour mark, and Wilson slid the ball home from 10 yards.
A super save from Irvine with 72 minutes played denied Wilson his hat-trick, but two goals in the final seven minutes saw Rothes on easy street.
First, substitute Gary Kerr, looking suspiciously offside, nipped in to slot home from eight yards.
Then, in the dying seconds Jack Brown scrambled the ball over the line from close range.
A decent all round performance by Keith, but that continued lack of being able to hit the back of the net helped contribute to a pointless afternoon.
Keith: Irvine, Thomas, Yeats, Scaife, R Robertson, Yunus, Findlay (Gray 67), Andrews, Stewart (Nawrocki 71), Selfridge (McKeown 65), Strachan. Subs not used: J Robertson, McCredie, Thompson.
Rothes: McCarthy, Hyde, Finnis, McRitchie, Milne, Robertson (MacKintosh 64), Gunn (Kerr 73), Pollock, Wilson, Brown, Cormack (Harkness 69). Subs not used: Johnstone, Stark, Crichton.
Referee: W Smith
