A heavy downpour in Keynsham at 1 o’clock was perfect preparation for their 3G pitch to give it a bit of zip for the Toolstation Western League Division One clash with Westbury United.
The rain clouds cleared and turned into a bright sunny winters afternoon for kick-off. The match started quickly, Jamie Jordan delivered a free kick from the wide left, with the sun in the goalkeeper’s eyes Jordan whipped a low curled delivery towards the front post, Sean Brereton got on the end of it but only managed to guide it wide.
The action continued and after five minutes a Pete Sturman pass hit the referee and fell to a Keynsham player, the Keynsham attack ended with a shot that went just wide of the post. The excellent Dan Price made a mistake in the middle of his own half, he tried to turn the attacker but lost the ball, Keynsham charged forward and had plenty of players in their attack, when the pass came to Matt Curnock he struck a fierce shot the glanced off the top of the cross bar.
The game was open with both teams playing some good football and both defences compact when out of possession, there was a few half chances and a couple of yellow cards for Westbury’s Otis Young and Matt Jones. On the half hour mark Young won a free kick in a similar position to the one in the second minute. Jordan again delivered and Brereton got a good touch that the keeper spilled, then Sturman had his shot cleared off the line which fell to Price who sent it wide.
The first half finished with a few chances to both teams, most notably a Jordan Pinder overlap on the right that his shot come pass went wide of the far post with George Bendle sliding in but unable to get the touch and a Young free kick from a central position that went inches wide of the post. The first half finished 0-0.
Westbury made an early change in the second half, Brereton going off and Grant Gunning came on. The half started cautiously and it took until the 55th minute for the first meaningful chance, a powerful shot from Keynsham was blocked by Price and wrong-footed Kierran Ramsey in the Westbury goal but thankfully went wide.
Bang on the hour mark another Jordan free kick was delivered, Price met it with his head, the ball looped up and over the Keynsham defence and goalkeeper to end up in the net, 1-0 Westbury. Five minutes later Young took a speculative shot from about 25 yards out just into the left third of the pitch, the journey the ball took from Young’s foot is undescribable but it evaded the goalkeeper and hit the inside of the side netting to make it 2-0.
Keynsham continued to play with the belief of a team flying high but the Westbury defence stood strong. Jones and Price where composed in the final half an hour with excellent discipline from Sturman and Matt Mantay in front of them meaning that Ramsey in the Westbury goal had nothing more than routine saves to make.
The whole of the Westbury travelling support surrounded the tunnel to clap their players in after the excellent performance and well deserved win.
