PICTURES: Keith overrun by Wick Academy in final match of Highland League football season at Kynoch Park
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
Keith produced one of their worst displays for months to end the season with a whimper, visitors Wick Academy winning at a canter for only their second away victory of the season.
Pre-match the sides were locked on 33 points, but Keith were in 12th spot due to better goal difference. The comprehensive Wick win saw the sides swap places in the final table.
Right from the first peep of the referee’s whistle there was the distinct feeling that the Scorries were showing far more intent, and inside a minute Maroons’ stand-in goalie Darren McConnachie found himself with a yellow card for a foul just outside the box.
It was no surprise when Wick opened the scoring in the fifth minute, a Marc McGregor shot hitting the foot of the post and nestling into the back of the net at the opposite corner.
Although Keith forced a string of corners, there was a distinct inability to capitalise and the nearest to a goal came when a Ryan Robertson close range effort was turned round the post.
Ten minutes from half-time Wick doubled the score-line when Ross Gunn was given space to rifle home a low 12 yarder into the bottom corner.
Then three minutes from the interval, Jack Halliday hit the post as Wick threatened to overrun their hosts.
In truth the Maroons never looked like getting on the score-sheet all afternoon and their cause was weakened in the 75th minute when Craig Gill was red carded for allegedly elbowing Gunn in the face.
From the free-kick award, slack defending allowed Owen Harrold to turn the ball into the net from six yards.
Keith’s misery was compounded with seven minutes remaining when Kyle Henderson was presented with the simple task of slipping the ball home from eight yards.
The day was perhaps summed up with two minutes left, Jordan Lynch’s surging run ending with his low shot screwing inches past the far post.
Keith: McConnachie (Macleod), Addison, Lynch, Coull, Robertson (Buchan), Gill, Elphinstone, Killoh (Yeats), Duncan, Tough (Taylor), Ironside (McKeown).
Ref: O Lawrence.
