Highland League reports: Keith beat Formartine United as Brechin City keep the pressure on leaders Brora Rangers

Keith boss Craig Ewen saluted his players for continuing their fantastic run of form as they beat Formartine United for the first time in three-and-a-half years.

In their first fixture at Kynoch Park since December 13, goals from Jordan Cooper and Horace Ormsby secured a 2-1 victory for the Maroons, their first success against United since September 2022.

In their last 13 Breedon Highland League fixtures Keith – who are ninth in the table – have won nine, drawn three and lost just once.

Ewen said: “It’s another great three points for us. I’m not sure if we deserved to win it, it was really tight and Formartine had moments where they could have scored.

“But ultimately it came down to a great bit of quality from Horace Ormsby to win the game for us.

“We’re very effective at being difficult to beat and we’ve got good energy.

“Apart from losing to Buckie (on December 20) we’re on an incredible run.

“I can only applaud the players for what they’ve done, it’s a really big team effort, there’s a great collective hunger and determination to win games.

“I’m delighted for the players because ultimately it comes down to them and they’re pulling up trees at the minute.”

Match action

Pre-match there was a minute’s applause in memory of Keith supporter and former committee member Jimmy Coull, who died recently.

Once proceedings got underway Nathan McKeown tested visiting goalkeeper Stuart McKenzie early on.

But Formartine almost went ahead in the 12th minute when Hamish Ritchie’s delivery from the left was sliced against his own crossbar by Maroons defender Conor Bird.

Seven minutes later Aidan McCormick’s cross following a short corner routine found Finlay Murray, who was thwarted by a good save from goalkeeper Craig Reid.

In the 31st the hosts broke the deadlock. Cooper started the move by gathering possession in midfield and passing to McKeown, who in turn found Jack Searle on the right flank and his delivery was finished from close range by Cooper.

Seven minutes later United equalised when Ritchie’s free-kick from the left was bundled into the net by Marc Lawrence at the front post.

In the 69th minute Formartine were appealing for a penalty when substitute Paul Campbell went to ground after beating Reid to the ball, however, referee James Coull dismissed the claims.

Five minutes later Keith got their winner. Zak To’s pinpoint pass picked out Ormsby on the right side of the penalty area and after jinking inside Murray’s challenge he coolly finished into the left corner.

On 88 minutes Formartine’s Rhys Thomas was sent off. The defender was booked in the first half for fouling Ryan Spink and received a second yellow card for dissent.

However, the 10 men almost equalised in stoppage time, but sub Brody Alberts’ effort at point blank range was brilliantly blocked by Reid.

Formartine frustration

This is only Formartine’s second league defeat of the season and ends a 13-match unbeaten league run stretching back to September 10.

United are fourth in the table, six points behind leaders Brora Rangers with two games in hand.

Manager Stuart Anderson said: “We had spells on top but didn’t capitalise in those periods.

“We lost two goals on the break which is something we spoke about at training and before the game so it’s frustrating to lose those goals.

“It (the Campbell incident) is a clear penalty and if it’s not a penalty then it should be a corner, but neither was given which is frustrating.

“It’s a critical part of the season and it’s disappointing to lose, but we can only look forward because we’ve got a big game on Saturday against Clach.”

Brechin 3-0 Deveronvale

Brechin City kept up the pressure on league leaders Brora Rangers with a deserved 3-0 victory over Deveronvale at Glebe Park.

All of City’s goals came in the second half with a superb Mitch Findlay volley 13 minutes into the half giving the hosts the lead.

A Spencer Moreland strike nine minutes from time made it 2-0 with Grady McGrath’s close-range finish in the 88th minute wrapping up the points for the hosts.

Vale should have grabbed the lead in the first minute but Keane Matheson fired a shot just past the post with the goal at his mercy.

City thought they had grabbed the advantage in the 20th minute when Mitch Taylor blasted home a left-footed drive but the assistant had his flag up for offside.

The visitors were outraged when Jack Mitchell was bundled over in the penalty box nine minutes later but referee Lewis Brown waved their protests away.

The deadlock was broken in the 58th minute when Brechin grabbed the lead with a well-worked goal.

Ross Milne started the move when he delivered a terrific pass to Taylor wide on the right who sent a great cross into the box for substitute Findlay to volley into the bottom corner of the net.

Brechin kept up the pressure and they made sure of the points nine minutes from time when Moreland fired in a drive from 18 yards which took a slight deflection on its way past Euan Storrier with McGrath making it 3-0 a couple of minutes from time.

Brora Rangers 3-0 Turriff United

Breedon Highland League leaders Brora Rangers returned to winning ways with a 3-0 victory against Turriff United at Dudgeon Park.

Turriff went into the match on a high after reaching the final of the R Davidson (Banchory) Highland League Cup on Saturday by defeating Brechin City on penalties in a win that extended new Turra boss Greg Moir’s unbeaten start to five games.

Brora, by contrast, were looking to bounce back following a 1-0 loss at Brechin in their most recent outing.

And the hosts made the ideal start with Connor Bunce firing home the opener after 12 minutes.

The Cattachs doubled their advantage six minutes later when James Wallace pounced after a Shane Sutherland effort bounced back off the post.

Turriff were inches away from pulling a goal back in the 37th minute when a Ryan McLean effort hit the crossbar and the follow-up effort was saved by Cammy MacKay.

Bunce stung the palms of Turriff goalkeeper Lee Herbert as the hosts pressed for a third early in the second half.

James Anderson went close to a goal on his Brora debut but his volleyed attempt came back off the bar.

Brora made it 3-0 with 20 minutes to go with Tony Dingwall finding the bottom corner of the net.

This weekend Brora head to Buckie Thistle, while Turriff host Rothes.

Strathspey Thistle 0-3 Clachnacuddin

Clachnacuddin enjoyed a 3-0 victory against 10-man Strathspey Thistle at Seafield Park.

Strathspey were 3-2 winners against Rothes in new boss Aaron Doran’s first game in charge, while Clach won by the same scoreline in their previous league match at Deveronvale.

Troy Cooper had a couple of early efforts as the visitors pressed for the opener before Jags goalkeeper Lewis Munro made a smart stop to deny Jordan MacRae.

MacRae fired wide of the target early in the second half as the wait for the game’s first goal continued.

The home side were reduced to 10 men in the 74th minute when defender Dean Stewart was sent off.

Clach put their numerical advantage to good use, opening the scoring only two minutes later through Mikey Mackenzie.

Cooper doubled the advantage two minutes later when his shot found the top corner before adding his second and Clach’s third in the 83rd minute when the Jags defence failed to clear a cross and he poked the ball home.

This weekend, the Jags visit Inverurie Locos, while Clach host Formartine United.

Banks o’ Dee 1-3 Buckie Thistle

Buckie Thistle ended their run of six games without a win in the Breedon Highland League with a 3-1 victory over Banks o’ Dee at Spain Park.

In an entertaining encounter, Liam Macdonald had the Jags ahead within the opening stages.

Ashton Leiper brought the home side level but Macdonald’s second of the evening, and a late finish from Lyall Keir in the second half, secured a first win over Dee in four attempts and lifted Buckie into seventh place.

The game burst into life in the early stages with Sam Pugh striking the post after positive play from Liam Duell in the sixth minute.

But it was the Jags who grabbed an early lead moments later when Macdonald wrestled the ball from Ramsay Davidson before catching out Daniel Hoban with a 30-yard effort into the bottom corner.

Banks o’ Dee recovered well and restored parity in the 26th minute.

Nathan Cooney split the defence with a through-ball for Leiper, who converted with a low drive into the far corner.

Buckie battled back as the half progressed and retook the lead before the break.

Keir chipped in an inviting ball for Macdonald, and though his first-time shot was saved by Hoban, the Elgin City loanee was on hand to finish the rebound.

The second half saw Dee in the ascendancy as they pressed for an equaliser. Sean McIntosh was alert to save from Lewis Lorimer and Duell late in the half, before Buckie secured the win in added time.

Keir pounced on a short back-pass to round Hoban and finish into the corner of the net.

Huntly 3-1 Lossiemouth

A Sam Robertson brace either side of a Ryan Sewell strike helped Huntly to a 3-1 win over Lossiemouth.

With six minutes gone, Callum Youngson played a low cross to Andy Hunter but a timely tackle from James Leslie kept the forward out.

On 13 minutes, a Ryan Matheson cross was not cleared and Liam Harvey struck towards goal but Michael Clark kept the ball out on the line.

Minutes later, a Greig McNaughton cross was punched away by Lossiemouth’s Arran Anderson to Youngson but his shot was straight at the keeper.

Huntly had a penalty shout on 31 minutes when Anderson parried a Callum Murray shot before appearing to take down Andy Hunter but no penalty was given.

The hosts took the lead on 39 minutes when a Youngson corner found Robertson at the near post wand he took a touch before firing high into the net.

In the 70th minute, Michael Clark won the ball on the edge of his own box and went on a mazy run before slipping the ball to Ryan Sewell who drove low inside the post against his former club.

Lossie pulled one back on 79 minutes when a speculative ball into the box from Liam Harvey sailed into the far corner for his eighth of the campaign.

With nine seconds of regular time remaining, Scott Logan released Sewell in the middle of the park and he picked out Robertson who curled in his 11th of the season.

Rothes 2-6 Inverurie Locos

Ethan Cairns was the hat-trick hero for Inverurie Locos as they ran out 6-2 victors at bottom of the table Rothes.

Locos started strongly and in the second minute Harris Clubb headed well over from good position from a deep free-kick.

Inverurie took the lead in the eighth minute, midfielder Lloyd Robertson drilling the ball into the far corner of the net from 15 yards.

Rothes got out of jail midway through the half when Locos’ Jay Halliday went down in the box under a challenge. On another day referee Owen Lawrence may have awarded a penalty kick but on this occasion he brandished a yellow card to the Inverurie player for simulation.

Ten minutes from the break Locos made it 2-0 when Cairns rattled the ball home 10 yards from goal.

Three minutes later Cairns made it 3-0, Rothes keeper Stewart Black blocked a close-range effort but Cairns was on hand to hammer the ball into the roof of the net from six yards.

On the hour it took a fabulous save from home keeper Black to stop Daniel Agnew from making it 4-0.

A fourth goal was only delayed by three minutes, Black flapped at a cross ball and Cairns was lurking at the back post to stab home his hat-trick.

In the 74th minute Robert Ward made it 5-0 from almost on the goal-line.

With nine minutes left Tom Brady lashed home from 15 yards for a consolation goal  and two minutes later Rory Williamson made it 5-2 with a long-range free-kick.

Two minutes from time Clubb made it 6-2, again with a close-range finish.

[Source: Press and Journal]