Keith co-boss Andy Roddie trusts his squad to keep in shape while Highland League football is paused due to the Covid-19 lockdown
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
With training as well as matches suspended for the rest of January, Andy Roddie and fellow Maroons boss Tommy Wilson have designed a fitness programme for all players to follow individually.
The management team want their squad to be in the best condition possible for when their season resumes, with the Scottish Cup tie against Clyde at the top of their priority list.
“The guys are big enough, old enough and experienced enough to know what they’ve got to do to keep their fitness levels up,” said Roddie.
“Every individual knows what they need to do because they know what makes them tick so they need to make sure that they do what’s needed to keep themselves fit.”
Roddie expects the third round clash with League 1 Clyde to be the opening fixture once the suspension of action ends.
And he knows Keith’s opponents will be equally ring rusty, so the break in play could work in his team’s favour.
“I do think the first game back is probably going to be the Scottish Cup so they can keep that going.
“That’s good as far as we are concerned, because Clyde are in the same position as us, so it’s not as if they are training and we are not. Everybody is in the same boat so it gives us a bit of a level playing field, so to speak, if that is both clubs’ first game back.
“We’ve got the same amount of time to prepare for it.”
Keith were on a four-game winning run when play was stopped, including the cup wins over Fort William and Hill of Beath Hawthorn.
The Kynoch Park club have a number of new faces in their squad since last season, with fresh signings made both by previous boss Dean Donaldson and the new managers.
Loan captures like Logan Watt from Fraserburgh - who scored in the cup win over Fort – and Liam Strachan from Formartine United have slotted in alongside ex-Cove youngster Dem Yunus.
At the other end of the age spectrum, experienced club captain Cammy Keith has bagged six goals in his last four games, and looks fitter than ever.
There will be no hiding places for the Keith players when they do get back to team training, Roddie explained.
“Obviously once we get back going again we will give them a fitness test and see who has been keeping themselves ticking over and who hasn’t.
“We’ll be making sure there’s scope for some improvement as there always is, and topping up the fitness levels once we get back and get going again.
“It’s difficult to know how long it’s going to be for.
"The training element, getting the ball work and the sharpness and all that, it will disappear a little bit but hopefully we will get at least a couple of weeks back training before we go into any games.”
