GRIEF V KEITH

By Gary McKenzie
July 15 2003

Friendly. Monday 14 July 2003, Links Park, Montrose. Montrose 1 (Johnston 89), Keith 3 (Donaldson 8, Still (penalty, 37), Nicol 70)

It looked a bit like Chelsea against Aston Villa at the start, but we soon realised that it was the Montrose that we know and wish would improve. Keith boasted the old Mo faces of Stevie King and Kris Niddrie in their starting line-up, and legend Marty Allan in the dugout.

Montrose made a couple of early chances and just when it looked like we might put one of them away, Keith opened the scoring with their first foray upfield. A fine cross found Donaldson in a crowded box and his header looked like it took a bit of a deflection off a Mo defender and into the net. One down after 8 minutes.

Friendly it was only by name, and Barry Donnachie found himself in a bit of a tussle with Smith and on 37 minutes gave away what looked a soft penalty. Still slotted it home and the referee took the unusual step of asking Sheran to substitute Donnachie. Wonder if he fancies the job on a more permanent basis...

Thankfully the shop was open and selling hot pies at half-time which warmed the heart a little.

It was subsitute heaven in the second half and I haven't the foggiest who came on for whom, and to tell you the truth, I'd just about lost the will to live by the time Keith scored their third through Nicol.

Hope springs eternal and Watt was crudely upended in the box for a stonewall penalty, but he shot the kick to near the keeper and it was left to Grant Johnston to drive home through a crowd of players the Mo's only goal of the game in the last minute.

Conclusions? We still desperately need someone who knows where the goal is. Henderson looked the most dangerous of the Mo strikers, although Wood played well in the first half. The central defensive partnership of Stephen and Smith will need time to gel, if indeed they are going to be first choice. Perhaps it's unfair to draw too much from this first game back after the break.

Up to Glebe Park on Wednesday, then. We're unlikely to be favourites!

Mo Team

(4-4-2)

Hankinson, Donnachie, Ferguson, Stephen, Smith, Webster, Gibson, Farnan, Sharp, Kerrigan, Wood

Substitutes: Smart, Johnston, Baillie, Henderson, Narey, Watt, Lannen, Stewart, Lindsay

PS I'll make the effort to get the Brechin report up on Wednesday before bedtime!!