Forres Mechanics sit in fifth spot in the Breedon Highland League after a 1-0 win at Inverurie Locos.
The Can-Cans have made a great start to the season with three wins out of four and only one goal conceded so far.
Forres boss Steven MacDonald said: “This win shows the progress the players are making. Although the first half was not much of a game that suited us.
“We expressed ourselves much better after half time and passed the ball better
“We showed great resilience which you need when coming to these places.”
The only goal of the game arrived after 52 minutes when Ethan Cairns fired over a fierce low cross into the area which Locos centre-half Mark Souter deflected into his own net under pressure from Ben Barron.
— InverurieLocoWorksFC (@InverurieLocos) August 13, 2022
Callum Johnstone could have made it two but his shot bounced back off the post.
Locos boss Richard Hastings said: “We needed to remember what allowed us to play well.
“It is all about getting in about your opponents and winning second balls.
“We needed to get in behind them, get them on the turn. Anything in front of them they ate up.
“At the very most we deserved a draw, not a win.”
Keith claim first victory
Keith’s first win of the season came the hard way after they finally overcame a gutsy Clach outfit that played 85 minutes with 10 men in the searing Kynoch Park.
Paul Brindle saw red for the visitors after five minutes with a fine second half double by Dem Yunus sealing the three points in a 2-1 win.
Keith coach Chris Craib said: “It was a very hard-fought win. The sending off at the start should have thrown things in our favour but it’s sometimes harder playing against ten men.
“We are delighted to get the points and our first win of the season.
“Clach probably felt they could have won, but we’ll take the points any way we can.
“We seemed to sit back after we scored and they deserved their equaliser.
“They were then going for the win, pushing numbers up which probably worked in our favour.”
Team v @clachfc pic.twitter.com/Cjy02jDQpd
— Keith Football Club (@KeithFC) August 13, 2022
Brindle was red carded after kicking out at Michael Ironside in the middle of the park, but it didn’t deter the visitors from taking the game to their hosts as the Maroons struggled to make the extra man count.
Had it not been for two fine Craig Reid saves late in the first half, the Lilywhites could have been in front at half-time.
The deadlock was broken after 48 minutes, Yunus unleashing a 16-yarder into the roof of the net.
However, instead of setting Keith on their way, they were forced to hang on whilst Clach pushed forward at every opportunity.
It was no surprise when the equaliser came in the 73rd minute, substitute Lewis MacKenzie rifling a low 15-yarder home.
Fresh legs brought impetus to the home challenge and the winner came five minutes from the end, substitute Matty Tough racing up the right wing and firing a pass across to the back post where Yunus gleefully swept home from close range.
Clach manager Jordan MacDonald was disappointed. He said: “There was only one team that deserved to win and that was Clach. We just have to pick ourselves up.
“We dominated the game, but didn’t take our chances, and the two goals we lost were soft, both avoidable. Fair play to Keith for punishing us.”
