Late equaliser denies Fort in final match of the season
Fort William 3 Keith 3
Highland League
FORT William narrowly missed out on recording their first win of the season after conceding a late equaliser in the club’s final match of the Highland League season.
Fort William were unable to hold onto their 3-2 lead on a sunny evening at Claggan Park last Wednesday night as a late goal from Keith dashed the home side’s hopes of avoiding a winless season.
Fort William came into this game in decent form and were buoyed by the decision to remain in the Highland League next season, which alleviates any uncertainty surrounding the club’s future.
However, the Fort got off to a poor start after conceding a goal early in the first half. This was closely followed by another goal, which was dispatched from a Keith corner.
Being two goals down didn’t deter the home side, however, and they fought back to start dominating the play, forcing a great save from Keith goalkeeper David Dey after a well-struck free kick from 20 yards out.
Dey was again the hero for Keith just minutes later, saving a Fort William penalty.
Fort William were in the ascendancy and were desperate to capitalise on their commanding performance.
Their breakthrough came after 37 minutes when Lewis Campbell drove the ball into the net from outside the penalty area, taking the score to 2-1 as the half-time whistle blew.
The Fort started the second half with a real desire and just two minutes after the restart, Stephen Lopez netted to level the scores.
The home side continued to press and took the lead in the 54th minute. A great free kick routine saw Martin Munro flash the ball across the goal for Michael Gillespie to tap in from close range.
As expected, the visitors’ retaliated and began pegging Fort William back into their own half.
The pressure began to mount on the Fort defence as Keith were denied by the post after a well-struck free kick.
With just minutes remaining, the home defence continued to resist the Keith attacks but after a scramble in the Fort box, Keir Smith was able to pounce to slot the ball into the net to level the scores.
As the final whistle blew, the Fort were disappointed to miss out on their first win of the season but can take pride in what was an impressive performance.
That results, and after a good run of form recently, means the Fort have picked up three of their five-point total this season in the last month.
The strong end to the season was not enough to lift them off the bottom of the table, however, as they finish bottom of the Highland League, nine points adrift at the foot of the table.