5 minutes later Keith pressed again and Kristopher
Niddrie had a fantastic chance to open the scoring for the visitors. He was
picked out with a crossed ball in acres of space 12 yards from goal and with
the net at his mercy he screwed a miskick well wide of target.
Down the other end Mackay slid an inch-perfect pass into
the box for Craig Shearer but he fired his left foot shot well over the target.
In the 23rd minute Mackay almost scored in an
identical move that lead to his first goal. He cut inside the left hand side of
the box but fired straight at Shearer.
Keith though they had scored in their next attack when
Cammy Keith had the ball in the net but the far-side linesman spotted a hand
ball and referee Shaw waved away the Keith protests.
Trialist James Murray was next to come close for the
Scorries when he got his head to a Ross Allan cross but the ball agonisingly
bounce off the top of the Keith cross-bar.
Keith then had a half-shout for a penalty when the ball
was struck against the hand off Ross Allan from close range. Andrew Anderson
then spurned another great chance when he picked the ball up from a corner
kick, worked himself some space in the middle of the Academy box but again
fired his attempt wide of target.
Ross Allan was causing Keith all sorts of problems down
the left wing and 5 minutes from the half-time break he hit the turbo button,
knocked the ball past Dean Donaldson and fired a great cross into the box for
Shearer but his header went just over the cross-bar.
Half Time – 2 – 0
6 minutes into the second half a cross from the right saw
Andrew McAskill again in a great position on the heart of the Academy box. He
got his head to the ball but sent the effort just wide of target.
5 minutes later another Keith ball into the Academy box
caused a bit of a stramash. Dean Donaldson looked as if he was going to score
but Shaun Sinclair blocked his effort and Grant Campbell cleared the danger.
With an hour played Craig Shearer almost scored a
screamer. He worked his way to the edge of the Keith box and struck a belter of
a left foot shot across the face of goal that shaved the outside of the right
hand post.
Academy should have been 3 up minutes later. James Murray
drove into the right side of the Keith box and cut the ball back to the feet of
Craig Shearer but he fluffed his shot with the goal beckoning.
In the 65th minute the visitors pulled a goal
back. In a packed penalty area Cammy Keith laid the ball to Graham Lonie and
through a ruck of players he managed to find the target.
2 – 1
3 minutes later Shearer rose and headed a high ball onto
Macadie. He held off Graham Lonie and powered into the box and he rifled a
shot that looked goal-bound but held his head in his hands as the ball struck
the outer half of the post and flew behind for a bye-kick.
On 70 minutes Keith were awarded a fairly soft looking
penalty when Grant Steven came into contact with Cammy Keith. Referee Shaw
pointed to the spot and Cammy converted to the right of Gray.
2 – 2
Academy came agonisingly close to regaining the lead when
Sam Mackay cut the ball across the face of the Keith goal and James Murray got
a foot to it turning it goal bound but with the Keith back-line at sixes and
sevens the ball struck the heel of keeper Shearer and bounce away to safety.
2 minutes before the full time whistle Sam Mackay and
Kris Niddrie came together in a cruncher, contesting a 50-50 ball, and both
players took a bad knock. Following 4 or 5 minutes of a stoppage both players
were taken off, Niddrie on a stretcher.
Neither team could snatch a late winner and the game
ended with the scores level.
Full Time 2 – 2
The result extended Academy's unbeaten home run to nine
games. The point was vital to keith as it gives them the edge in the fight for
the second available spot in next year's challenge Cup, with the top two
licensed SHFL cups earning a berth.
Sponsor's man of the match Ross Allan
Pictured receiving his award
from Russell Bain on behalf of match sponsors Precision Blinds Halkirk
