Avon Youth League Under 16s, Division 2, 23/04/17
KTJFC 6 Longwell Green 2 (HT 1-1)
Keynsham scorers: Toby, Will, Adam, Ben & Ozzie.
KEYNSHAM WIN LAST HOME GAME OF THE SEASON IN STYLE.
A hot and sunny day at crown fields for Keynsham’s last home game of the season.
Keynsham started brightly with Miles and Adam playing upfront supported by Toby, Max, Luke & Alf in the midfield.
There were a couple of early chances for Keynsham with Max shooting over the bar from long range and Toby having a central free kick saved by the goalkeeper.
Miles had his work cut out against a very large Longwell Green defender who commanded all the high balls into the box.
The defensive back line of Charlie, Harrison, Brendon & Tommy protected Reegan in goal who was not kept too busy.
On 15 minutes, Longwell Green were awarded a penalty when Reegan was forced into a diving challenge for the ball following a short back pass from the Keynsham defence.
The penalty was fiercely driven home by the Longwell Green No10 for a 0-1 lead against the run of play.
Keynsham to their credit did not panic, kept their discipline and carried on passing the ball forward creating chances.
A well delivered corner from Luke provided a heading opportunity for Charlie that went just wide and Adam had shot go over the bar from just outside the box.
At the end of the half a long midfield pass from Max put Toby through on goal and he out paced the defender and struck the ball in at the far post for Keynsham’s first goal.
The half ended 1-1.
The second half saw the introduction of fresh substitutes Ozzy, Ben, Dan & Will.
This injection of pace and skill paid off almost immediately, when Will made a quality diagonal run from midfield and slotted the ball to the left of the Keeper for a 2-1 lead to Keynsham.
On 58 minutes, a right hand cross from Ben into the box was flicked on by Will and driven past the keeper by Adam to make the score 3-1.
Minutes later Will chasing a lost cause long back pass picked the pocket of the Longwell defence and crossed the ball into the box for a tap in for Ben (4-1).
With the eleven man squad of Longwell Green beginning to tire Keynsham began to dominate possession in the midfield and attack at will.
Even Dan was ordered by Manager Dave to get into the box looking for his first Keynsham goal!
A nice pass from Ben to Ozzie who created space and struck the ball high into the back of the net for a 5-1 lead to Keynsham.
On 72 minutes, a break away move from the Longwell Green put the striker through on goal but was brought down by a mis-timed challenge from Brendon for their second penalty of the game.
This time the No3 drove the ball home to make the score 5-2.
Late on Keynsham pressure and cross caused a own goal by one of the Longwell Green defenders and the match ended 6-2 to Keynsham Town.
Unfortunately not another clean sheet but five shutouts from eight home league games was a fine achievement for the whole team and in particular the defensive unit led by keeper Reegan and captain Tommy, especially as most games we were playing with just a back three in an attacking 3-5-2 formation.
This is the last match report I will write this season as unfortunately I am away for the next game. May I say with a tear in my eye that it has been a pleasure watching the team play their matches over the years and what a privilege it has been to see the boys turn into fine young men. A thank you to Dave and Richard for all the time and hard work they have given.
Mike Cooke.
