The First Team took all three points with a comfortable performance on what must have been the coldest day in the history of the Earth on Saturday.
Having taken just one point from the first two games in the Cyril West Trophy, Keens Park knew that nothing less than a win would all but eliminate them from the competition and their urgency was there to be seen from the first whistle.
The facilities were as dire as the weather – a cramped changing room with no showers, but ironically, the pitch was the best the Golds had played on all season. That suited them to the ground and the now-familiar formation allowed them to assert their dominance on and off the ball.
Vic Hamilton and Michael Woods were as lively as ever down the two flanks, allowing Bruce McPhail, Ben Wicherek and Ryan Wallis to get the ball down and create openings for Liam Harrison up front and it wasn’t long before the away side took the lead. A reverse pass from Ryan Wallis found Liam Harrison, who took one touch before confidently slotting past the goalkeeper.
Five minutes later the same duo combined to double the lead. This time, Harrison turned provider as his deft layoff was perfect for Wallis to arrow the ball into the far corner after a quick Bruce McPhail throw.
At the other end, the new-look centre back partnership of James Crouch and Dougie Noble were comfortable with almost everything that Deepcut threw at them, and when the home side did break behind, goalkeeper Tom Coles, making his first First Team appearance of the season, was there with a stunning save to keep the clean sheet in tact.
With the genuine possibility of a player dropping dead because of the cold, the half-time interval was kept to a matter of minutes. The message from the management was ‘more of the same’.
The midfield three were finding a lot of space in the middle of the park and they did all in their power to feed Michael Woods in the hope of ending his slight goal drought. Woods had the constant beating of the Deepcut defence and he forced an incredible save from the goalkeeper to keep the score at 2-0.
Seamus Leonard rattled the crossbar with a powerful free-kick, but Keens Park just could not find a third goal in the game. Late on, Michael Woods’ threat was epitomised as he forced a red card for Deepcut as he was chopped down with the goal at his mercy.
Though it was an impressive performance, everyone at the game was relieved to hear the final whistle blow.
The weather led to some unsavoury scenes in the Keens Park dressing room after the game, with Tommy’s wind-chafed legs on display for all to seeand Seamus, shamelessly naked, forced to leave the room for a post-hangover chunder.
Keens Parks Rangers is a Guildford based football club and we are always looking for new players and sponsorship opportunities. Get in touch with us through our website or our social channels
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