Keith bring in Ross County pair
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KEITH boss Dean Donaldson hopes his squad will get a lift from the arrival of two young Ross County loan signings.
Midfield pair Jack Grant and Gregor MacDonald, both 18, are involved in the Dingwall club’s reserve side.
They have been farmed out to Kynoch Park until January, with Donaldson set to introduce both players to Highland League action this weekend.
Keith make the short trip to Rothes for a Moray derby clash and their manager is excited to see how his new recruits will fit in.
“They are two full-time boys looking for regular football and it’s good timing for us because we are quite short of bodies right now,” said Donaldson.
“Jack is a centre midfielder while Gregor can play on the left or right side, and they will definitely come straight into the squad for Saturday.
“They are playing for County’s reserves against Hearts this week and will join us for training (on Wednesday) so we’re looking forward to seeing what they can do.”
The Maroons could also have two players back who missed the Scottish Cup defeat against University of Stirling two weeks ago.
Jamie McAllister is available for Saturday, although he is then away for three weeks and is set to miss most of the October action. Young striker Josh Bolton is also back.
Keith were the odd team out on the Highland League fixtures card last Saturday and trained instead. They have several players still missing or struggling to make the Rothes clash.
James Brownie, who came off the bench against Stirling despite being injured, still hasn’t fully recovered and is a doubt to play at MacKessack Park.
Similarly, experienced defender Stewart Hutcheon is on the injured list and unlikely to make it.
Ryan Keir and keeper David Dey are also out while Scott Begg is moving to Dubai with his work and is set to leave Keith.
With his two new faces on board, Donaldson will reshuffle his pack for tomorrow’s derby and is keen to get a reaction from his team from the cup defeat.
The manager heavily criticised his squad, accusing them of “bottling it” from a winning position against the uni side. “The Scottish Cup was a massive disappointment because we lost to a team that was not better than us,” he said.
“We know we can play much better than that and I will certainly be looking for a response.”
Keith are at home to leaders Brora on Wednesday.
