Montrose keeper flees the country after derby demolition

Montrose manager George Shields is on the lookout for a new goalkeeper after Lucas Birnstingl left the country in the wake of his Angus derby horror show.

Birnstingl had a nightmare of a match on Saturday as the Gable Endies lost 5-1 at home to county rivals Arbroath at Links Park in their League Two clash.

He conceded a bizarre goal after 78 minutes to the Lichties’ goalie David Crawford, who scored with a free-kick from just 10 yards outside his own box.

Six minutes later, the 24-year-old was sent off for bringing down Arbroath frontman Paul McManus, who got up to score from the penalty spot past stand-in Garry Wood to add to the three goals already conceded by Birnstingl.

After the final whistle, the beleaguered German-born Canadian keeper decided enough was enough, packed his bags, booked a plane ticket and headed back across the Atlantic.

The remarkable turn of events has left Montrose boss George Shields on the look-out for someone to join remaining goalies Stuart McKenzie and John McCafferty.

“I will be looking to bring in a new keeper before our next game against Clyde a week on Saturday,” confirmed Shields, who is not expecting Birnstingl to return to Scotland.