Kemnay AFC 4–3 AC Mill Inn AFC
Kemnay AFC kicked off the 2026/27 season in winning fashion, edging out AC Mill Inn 4–3 in a thrilling encounter at Kemnay Academy.
Blustery conditions had a major influence throughout the afternoon, with Kemnay enjoying the benefit of the strong wind in the first half before having to play against it after the break.
The home side started strongly and made full use of the conditions, opening the scoring through Davis. Collecting the ball on the right flank, he drove forward on a superb solo run into the box before calmly slotting past the goalkeeper from close range.
The lead was doubled in spectacular style when Greg scored directly from a corner, his delivery curling all the way into the top corner to make it 2–0.
Kemnay continued to control the opening stages, with Joel and Callum providing composure in the middle of the park and Jake offering a strong presence up front. His hold-up play gave those around him opportunities to get forward, with Ryan particularly dangerous when picking up possession and running at the AC Mill Inn defence.
That threat soon produced Kemnay's third. Ryan collected the ball just outside the area and unleashed an excellent strike that flew into the net, giving the hosts a commanding 3–0 advantage.
However, AC Mill Inn responded well and began to find gaps as the first half progressed. Craig Irvine and Euan Henry became increasingly influential in helping their side back into the game, with much of the pressure coming down Kemnay's right.
Their pressure was rewarded with two goals before the break, cutting Kemnay's advantage to just one. The visitors were dealt a blow late in the half when target man David Clark was forced off with what appeared to be a hamstring injury, before the teams headed into the break with Kemnay leading 3–2.
The turnaround of ends meant Kemnay now faced the full force of the wind, but the home side began the second half strongly and quickly restored their two-goal cushion.
Another corner caused problems inside the AC Mill Inn penalty area, resulting in a scrappy battle for possession before the ball eventually broke to Callum. He reacted quickest and slotted home to make it 4–2.
As the second half progressed, momentum began to swing towards AC Mill Inn and the visitors enjoyed a sustained spell of pressure. Buckett and Craig remained solid at the heart of the Kemnay defence, limiting the visitors as they pushed for a way back into the game.
Kemnay continued to carry a threat of their own and came close on a couple of occasions during goalmouth scrambles, with efforts narrowly missing the post by Jake and Louie.
AC Mill Inn eventually found a way through to reduce the deficit to 4–3 and set up a tense finish.
With the visitors pushing for an equaliser, Max produced two excellent saves from set pieces to deny AC Mill Inn and preserve Kemnay's advantage.
Kemnay began to regain their composure during the final ten minutes, managing the closing stages well and holding off the visitors to secure a hard-fought three points.
It proved to be an entertaining and competitive opening fixture, with both sides producing a solid performance in difficult conditions. AC Mill Inn showed great resilience to fight their way back into the contest after falling 3–0 behind, but Kemnay did enough to see out the victory and begin the new campaign with all three points.
Full Time: Kemnay AFC 4–3 AC Mill Inn AFC
Kemnay AFC goalscorers:
⚽ Davis Lupindu
⚽ Greg Allan
⚽ Ryan McLaren
⚽ Callum Campbell
AC Mill Inn AFC goalscorers:
⚽ Craig Hector
⚽ Henry Coutts
⚽ Dylan Clark
Man of the Match: Joel Ingram
A perfect start to 2026/27.
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