Ach me it never rains but it pours – Keith have now lost nine matches in a row, and have plummeted to third bottom in the league table.
Fort fans were singing in the rain on Saturday, but unfortunately for the Maroons this was no musical on Broadway, but a rain sodden football match at Claggan Park.
At 2.15pm the game was off but the referee relented and rightly allowed Fort officials the chance to fork certain soggy areas of the pitch, before saying all systems go.
Conditions were exactly the same for both sides, but Fort seemed to be more eager than us – perhaps a few of the players had the mindset that the game would be off. Anyway, we had one or two half chances in the first half without causing too many problems.
All square at half-time us handful of Maroons diehards in the small crowd were in positive mood and we had decent cause as we started the second half eagerly enough. In fact we almost snatched the opener when Michael Ewen forced a fine save out of the Fort’s trialist goalie.
Unfortunately, with the rain back on again , the heavens opened in more ways two minutes later when we seemed to be caught out and Fort had their noses in front.
It’s been the same story umpteen times this season for Keith after a decent first 45, that the wheels come off the wagon in the second period.
Well, it was the same story here and the feeling was that it was going to be a struggle to get anything. Well sure enough the Fort subbie had only been on the park for a couple of minutes and with his first touch headed home.
We were sunk without trace a few minutes later when Stuart Massie committed hara-kiri, getting a second yellow card, then swearing at the referee to earn two red cards. We won the Fair Play Award last season along with a handsome cheque, but with six red cards already this season, that award will heading out of Kynoch Park come the end of the season.
It’s terribly disheartening for all of a Maroon persuasion, but we just have to stick to the task, roll up the sleeves and persevere, and one of these days the tide will turn. There is plenty of talent in the squad, but a win just can’t be bought at the moment.