Brechin player-boss Michael Paton insists the Angus club will bounce back from the shock of relegation to the Highland League ‘bigger, better and stronger.’
Paton was left stunned as Michael Tidser’s winning strike earned Kelty a 3-1 aggregate win that saw his side’s 98-year association with league football come to an abrupt end.
However, while Paton’s men now face an uncertain future, with a 480-mile round trip to face Wick Academy in the Highland League he is convinced they’ll be back.
“The players and myself are absolutely gutted right now,” said Paton. “There are tears in our eyes right now.
“It’s incredible that so many fans turned up and stayed to clap us off the park at the end.
“It’s too good a club to be in the position it’s in.
“This club will bounce back. It will be better, bigger and and stronger in the future.”
Meanwhile, Paton has vowed to investigate claims that striker Chris McKee was sent off for foul and abusive language of ‘a homophobic nature.’
Paton refused to deny claims that McKee had overstepped the mark with his language as he was shown a straight red by referee Craig Napier 41 minutes into the defeat to Kelty.
“I don’t know what Chris has said. The referee has had a word with him and said he has used some language he’s not happy with.
“I don’t know what Chris has actually said because he is in a bit of a state. He’s upset and is crying.
“I’ve not really had a good conversation with him. I’ll have that conversation when I go back in.”
Kelty star Dylan Easton who was fouled in the build-up to McKee’s red insists he didn’t hear the language used by the on-loan Rangers star.
“I never heard what was going on,” said Easton. “I was down at the time. I think I’ve broke my finger but that wasn’t stopping me playing.
“I think one of the boys said he called the ref something. Obviously you can’t speak to the ref like that now. He has probably let his team mates down.
“It wasn’t the greatest performance from myself. but I’ve said before I’d rather have the worst game of my life as long as I got through with this group of boys.”
