A brace from midfield workhorse Robbie Brown wasn’t enough to prevent Vale from going down at the hands of hosts Keith in controversial circumstances for the second season running and at the same time put a severe dent in the Banffers’ title aspirations.
A hotly contested penalty two minutes from the break from former Vale striker Barrie Stephen cancelled out Robbie Brown’s earlier diving header and saw the sides level at half time and as the pendulum swung back in Keith’s favour they went on to secure the three points courtesy of strikes from Stuart Walker and Dean Donaldson, although the winger’s finish looked positively offside as he headed Barrie Stephen’s cross home from virtually on the goal-line.
Brown knocked the ball home from close range right at the death but it was too-little too-late for Gregg Carrol’s side and they now face an real uphill task to come out on top in this season’s title race.

Kynoch Park, the venue which famously saw Vale win their first ever League Title two seasons ago, looked far from playable as the teams locked horns for the first time this season and although the groundsman had done his best to sand the pitch in an effort to get the game on it was soon apparent that the surface was far from playable as it started to severely cut up.
The hosts got proceedings underway kicking into a low sun and a slight breeze and were soon on the attack with skipper Darren Still flashing an effort across the face of Ross Bremner’s goal and out for a goal kick
Mark Chisholm came to Vale’s rescue with a fine block at the feet of the impressive Dean Donaldson as he looked to latch onto a Barrie Stephen low cross.
Keith continued to dominate the early stages and Derek Nicol went down in the box under a Ross Bremner challenge but referee Gary Cheyne correctly pointed to the corner flag rather than the penalty spot.
A run full of trickery from Barrie Stephen was eventually cleared by the hard-working Chisholm before Terry Kidd wasted a good break at the other end with a way-word pass straight at Andy Shearer in the Keith goal.
But with just short of twenty minutes played it was the visitors who grabbed the lead against the run of play when Bryan Dlugonski won a free kick out on the left flank. Steve Dolan stepped up to swing a dangerous ball into the penalty box, which found Robbie BROWN diving full length to divert the ball past Shearer, and into the far corner of the net for only his second of the season.
A quickly taken contestable free kick caught the Vale defence cold ten minutes later and as Dean Donaldson whipped the ball into the centre it was met perfectly by the instep of Darren Still but fortunately for the visitors the ball cannoned back of the cross bar before being thumped clear much to the relief of the large travelling support.
Vale had another fortunate escape when a goalmouth scramble well inside their six-yard box almost resulted in an equaliser but Stephen could get enough on the ball to sweep it home with the Banffers defence standing strong whilst trying to protect their goal.
Mark Smith had a great chance to put Vale further ahead ten minutes from the interval but after playing a neat one-two with Mike McKenzie the midfielder elected for power rather than precision and the ball flew past the far post from an acute angle. Steve Dolan then blasted over with his weaker right with the goal at his mercy after Jamie Watt had his effort blocked inside the 18-yard box.
Referee Gary Cheyne felt the wrath of the “Valley Crew” as he continuously stopped play and awarded free kicks not allowing for the obvious difficult underfoot conditions and even more so three minutes from the half time whistle when he awarded the home side the softest of penalty kicks for a trip on Barrie Stephen by Danny Craib when the majority of the crowd inside Kynoch Park were sure the young defender made contact with the ball first before Stephen took an over-elaborate tumble. Stephen netted easily from the spot to add insult to injury for the furious travelling fans.

Steve Dolan, who had moved to the left-side of Vale’s midfield for the second period in a switch which saw Danny Craib being replaced by Stuart Gray, almost found the net early on with a looping effort which almost dropped in at the far post as Gregg Carrol’s side went looking to get their noses back in front.
But the home side had other ideas and with just six minutes gone of the second period they ripped down Vale’s right-hand side before taking the lead. Dean Donaldson slipped past Stuart Gray as if he wasn’t there before feeding Darren Still and his cut-back from the bye-line was side footed home by Walker at the back post with Vale’s new look formation at sixes and sevens.
Jamie Watt made way for former Keith striker Graeme Cadger, who was making his one hundredth appearance for the Banff outfit, but the change made little difference to Gregg Carrol’s side who were missing the vital spark which had seen them win their previous four games.
Captain Bryan Dlugonski did almost bring his side level with a spectacular effort from 30-yards but Andy Shearer was equal to it when he somehow managed to get a fingertip to push the ball over the crossbar from near the top corner.
At the other end Ross Bremner saved well from Barrie Stephen as gaps started to appear in Vale’s defence.
Vale came close to equalising again when Mark Smith met a Mike McKenzie cross from the left but the ball nicked off the head of Kenny McKenzie which was just enough to see it sail inches over the top with Shearer clutching at thin air.
The game was over as a contest minutes later however when Keith notched their third again under controversial circumstances.
Barrie Stephen bore down on Ross Bremner and after rounding the big keeper knocked the ball goalwards only for Mark Slater to make an excellent goal-line clearance but the ball broke straight back to the waiting Stephen who lashed the ball goalwards again and Dean Donaldson standing right on the goal line headed home. The Banffer’s strong appeals for an obvious offside were turned down by the officials and Ross Bremner saw yellow for over elaborating his feelings towards them but the goal stood.
The heat of the occasion got to young substitute Tawse who had only been on the field of play for five minutes when he lifted a hand to mark Chisholm and duly was shown his marching orders to leave his side with just ten men for the remaining fifteen minutes but it was too much to ask of Gregg Carrol’s boys to go on and get something out of the game.
Robbie Brown lashed a Mike McKenzie cross home at the second attempt right on the full time whistle to put a fairer reflection on the score line but it just wasn’t Vale’s day for the second season running at a very muddy Kynoch Park.

A fuming Gregg Carrol said, “I just simply thought we weren’t good enough on the day and Keith thoroughly deserved the three points with a superb display. Our big players didn’t perform at all and you need to be at your best when you come to places like Keith”.
On the state of the pitch Carrol said, “I thought their ground staff worked wonders to get the game on and although it wasn’t a great footballing surface it’s the same for both sides and we needed the game to go ahead because we are starting to fall behind with our fixture list.
“The players were told to knock the ball into the wide spaces and in behind the Keith rearguard and they didn’t do what was asked and it’s as simple as that” added Carrol.
For anyone interested there will be a Fans Forum Meeting at the Barclay’s Hotel, Bridge Street, with Gregg Carrol at 1:15pm prior to the Forres Mechanics match this coming Saturday.

Keith:
Shearer, #Watt, Lonnie, McKay, #K. McKenzie, Niddrie, Still, Walker (##Tawse 75), Nicol, Stephen (Brown 89), Donaldson

Subs not used: - Lennon
Manager: Martin Allan

Vale:
#Bremner, Dolan (Farrimond 80), Dlugonski (Capt.), Chisholm, Craib (#Gray 46), Slater, Smith, Kidd, McKenzie, Watt (Cadger 66), #Brown

Subs Not Used:Urquhart, Phimister (GK)

Referee:  G. Cheyne (2)