Marvellous!
If you
witnessed this, all I can say is lucky you! I’m not sure
whether it was down to the pre-match “splendid /
marvellous” haka or simply a reaction to the sense of
injustice felt in last week’s defeat at Vernon, but
whatever it was, it did the trick! This was as close to
perfect a display from Keyworth as we’ve seen all season!
On a dull and dreary day, the boys in green were bright as
a button as they tore apart a hard working Hucknall to
secure an emphatic victory, the margin of which would have
been even greater had it not been for a wonderful
performance by the Hucknall keeper.
Keyworth made their intentions known from the off,
attacking immediately and taking up residence in the
visitor’s half. It wasn’t long before their pressure was
rewarded with a goal. Keyworth were using the width well
and when yet another cross came in, Danny was in the right
place at the right time to tap in from five yards. With
Luke, Reece, Ben and Danny combining well, playing some
delightful one-twos and passing almost instinctively down
the right hand side and Sam Clements looking sharp on the
left, Keyworth were bamboozling Hucknall and looking
stylish in the process. This was delightful stuff and there
was no let up - it was unrelenting! Even the strongest of
defences couldn’t have withstood this onslaught and so it
really came as no surprise when Keyworth grabbed a second.
This time Sam Clements was the hero. Collecting a bouncing
ball with his back to goal, Sam amazed everyone with an
improvised flick over his shoulder which looped over the
stranded keeper and into the roof of the net. Sam’s beaming
smile said it all!
The Greens were now having the life of Riley, terrorising
Hucknall and threatening to score each time they went
forward. Within minutes, they went agonisingly close to a
third. From yet another Keyworth corner, the ball fell to
Ben whose carefully placed shot looked in all the way until
the visiting keeper somehow scrambled across goal to claw
it away for one of the best saves we’ve seen all season.
Danny then proceeded to make it three with another
unstoppable drive from the edge of the box - yet another
from Danny’s immaculate collection! Then came a save that
surpassed even that from Ben’s effort a few minutes
earlier. Danny’s corner was majestically met by Isaac whose
magnificent twelve yard header thundered towards the far
top corner. Out of nowhere, the keeper launched himself
high to his left and at full stretch somehow managed to
scrape the ball to safety with the fingernails of his
outstretched hand. An incredible save and a guaranteed
winner of this year’s YEL Save of the Season contest! You
had to feel sorry for the lad in goal, who really must have
thought there was no justice when Keyworth added a fourth
before the half was out. Once again it was Smiler Sam who
found himself clear following more good work from the
midfield. Calm as you like, Sam slotted home from ten yards
to give Keyworth a four goal advantage to take into the
break.
A Jim Bowen inspired team talk followed (“great, smashing,
marvellous”), before I finally ran out of superlatives and
left the lads to enjoy their half-time Jaffa Cakes. Perhaps
bloated by the biscuits or still dazed by the weight of
praise heaped upon them, Keyworth failed to turn up for the
opening minutes of the second period and not only granted
Hucknall into their half but stamped the visa allowing them
to stay - albeit on a temporary basis. For the first time,
the defence had work to do, but with Sam once again
commanding in goal and Peter H, Isaac, Douglas, Harry and,
particularly, Peter “Bites Yer Legs” Matthews in
uncompromising mood, there was never going to be any way
through. It wasn’t long before normal service was resumed
and the Greens, having weathered the Harriers storm, were
once again rampant.
The beauty of a good sized lead is that it allows you to
change the side around at will to ensure all get a good run
out and, importantly with such a hectic schedule, rest
tiring legs without jeopardising the result. It’s always
pleasing then when such changes pay off. Imagine my delight
then when Marek, given just half a game to ease him in
gently on return from illness and then Tommo - reintroduced
later in the half following a well earned twenty minute
recuperation period, both added goals to make our victory
complete. Firstly, Sam, desperate for his hat-trick, fired
a cracking shot past the keeper only to see it hit the
inside of the post, roll along the line and seemingly out
to safety. This was tough on Sam - who, incidentally, was
still smiling! - but, by way of consolation, the alert
Marek swiftly collected the rebound and drove home from a
tight angle.
With Peter Hennessy and Cian weaving their magic
beautifully down the left, you could sense that’s where the
final goal would come from. Sure enough, another tremendous
move involving Jacob, Cian and a dazzling run from Peter,
resulted in a fine cross from the left being met by Tommo’s
head and buried beyond the keeper to make it six of the
best and wrap up a comprehensive victory for the
Greens.
Credit to Hucknall who ploughed on valiantly throughout and
never gave up, but today belonged to Keyworth. I’ve been
waiting for today to happen for ages! At last, we’ve come
good with back to back performances of the highest quality
- it just proves what a good side we can be! Some of our
football was pure class and while life’s too short to look
back and think about all the “what ifs”, you do have to
wonder whether we’d have now reached the dizzy heights
towards the top of the table, had we played like this
consistently throughout the season.
We’ve set the standard - it’s now up to us to maintain it.
If we can, we’ll achieve our goal for this season and can
look forward to next year with renewed optimism.
For now though, I’m just going to savour the moment when
all that we’ve worked so hard for finally came together!
Thanks lads - you were brilliant!