Brechin City got their Breedon Highland League campaign off to a winning start with a narrow, but deserved 1-0 victory over Rothes at Glebe Park.
City controlled proceedings and created a number of chances over the 90 minutes, but Speysiders keeper Sean McCarthy brought off a string of fine saves to keep the score-line down.
Brechin boss Andy Kirk was delighted with the way his players performed, but emphasised the standards set have to be maintained in the matches ahead.
“I thought that’s the boys were excellent particularly during the opening 45 minutes,” he said.
“We started the match coming off the back of a really good pre-season. The players came back from the summer in really good condition, they’ve worked extremely hard and they were really eager to get started today.
“The way we played and the style we adopted was up there with some of our best performances and some of the football we played was outstanding.
“We’ve used the width of the pitch really well, we’ve tried different combinations and we’ve got really creative players in the front-line and looked solid at the back, but it is important to remember that, although we’ve laid the foundations, we need to keep working hard.
“I told the players after the game that they’ve set the standards and it’s up to them to make sure that that level is maintained.”
Brechin could have been a goal up within the first minute when Marc Scott scooped a Michael Cruickshank cross over the bar.
But they kept up the momentum and deservedly grabbed the lead in the 30th minute when Scott weaved his way across the 18-yard line before delivering a great cross into the box for Cammy Ross – who blasted an unstoppable shot past McCarthy.
The home side continued to press after the break, with Fraser Macleod firing a shot off the crossbar in the 59th minute, before McCarthy brought off a wonderful save to deny Cruickshank with 20 minutes remaining.
It was a disappointing day for the Speysiders with their trialist number six receiving a second yellow card a couple of minutes from time, and manager Ross Jack was disappointed with his side’s performance.
He said: “Brechin were by the far the better side in the first 20 minutes and then we calmed down a bit, but we switched off for Brechin’s goal.”
“We came more into the game in the second-half, but we just lacked that wee bit of creativity in front of goal which was disappointing.
“We had to dig deep today, but we have lots to build on.”
Keith goalie Craig Reid plays a blinder despite 4-0 Brora win
Brora Rangers are up and running in the Breedon Highland League after a comfortable 4-0 win over Keith at Kynoch Park.
But for a string of fine saves from Keith goalie Craig Reid, including a super penalty save, the winning margin for the Cattachs would have been greater.
Manager Craig Campbell was more than happy, and said “It’s always good to get a clean sheet and three points to kick off your campaign, so I’m delighted with that.
“If I’m being critical, we could have made more of our chances, although credit to their goalie, he had a wonderful game.
“Scoring just before half-time was a boost, then the early second (half) goal killed the game.
“They maybe didn’t trouble us, but Joe Malin made two fine saves from headers”.
The first half looked like remaining goalless, mainly thanks to a hatful of excellent stops from Reid – the best of them seeing him back pedal to tip a Tony Dingwall lob over the bar in the 33rd minute.
However, a minute into stoppage time, the visitors broke the deadlock when Ryan Robertson sent Dingwall toppling inside the penalty area, with Dale Gillespie making no mistake with the resultant spot-kick award.
Keith were up against it inside a minute of the restart when Jordan MacRae pounced on the loose ball – after another fine Reid stop – to clip the ball home.
At the other end, in the 64th minute, Brora custodian Malin denied Przemyslaw Nawrocki, tipping his header over the bar.
Andrew Macrae ran through to clip the ball beyond Reid for 3-0 barely a minute later.
Malin then denied the Maroons again to keep out a James Brownie header with six minutes remaining.
Brora received another penalty award soon after, with Gregor Macdonald being toppled, but Reid pulled off a terrific save to deny Gillespie his second.
The goalie then pulled off another two excellent quickfire saves, but could nothing in the last minute when Andrew Macrae fired home an angled shot.
Keith manager Craig Ewen was disappointed, saying: “We knew it would be a difficult opening fixture and, on another day, they would have scored more goals, but Craig Reid had a few good saves.
“Losing the goal with practically the last kick of the first half, then another so quickly after half-time, effectively killed us. It was disappointing to lose 4-0.”
