Page 20 - Keynsham Town FC

Keynsham Town 1 Bitton 1
This local derby attracted a bumper crowd of 235 to the AJN Stadium, not just because the two clubs
are only a couple of miles apart, but also because it was the only match on for miles around. Say what
you like about 3G pitches, local football supporters at least had something to watch.
Keynsham were buoyed by consecutive away victories at
Cribbs and Cadbury Heath and started the stronger into the
wind and good approach play by Jamie Noble enabled Matt
Brown to turn and shoot, but just inches wide. Bitton had
the ball in the net after six minutes when a defensive
mistake allowed Oaklan Buck through on goal, but he was
ruled to be offside. Jamie Noble struck a low, hard shot
just wide and had another cleared off the line from point-
blank range. Troy Walters, operating first down the left
flank and then the right caused Bitton many problems and
had a header just clear the crossbar.
Bitton struck back when Joseph Mclennan cut in from the
left but his shot was
well saved by Matt
Dunk, playing his first game in goal for the Ks since September.
Stef Lee made the best chance for the home team when he took
the ball round Bitton’s keeper Rob Brown and his shot across the
face of an empty goal went agonisingly in front of the advancing
Keynsham forwards. Oaklan Buck was denied a shooting chance
when advancing into the penalty area by a good tackle from Mike
Grist.
Having looked the more dangerous in the first half, Keynsham
turned around in the second with their backs to the wind, but never
really took advantage of it. In fact, it was Bitton who pushed harder
for the opening goal. Mclennan advanced down Bitton’s left flank
and crossed the ball to substitute Karim Randall who tried to back-
heel the ball into the net. He never really connected with it and it
was probably easier to side foot the ball into the net. Troy Walters
whipped a ball into Bitton’s penalty area and Stef Lee in trying to
convert it, lost out after a collision with goalkeeper Brown. Bitton’s
Mclennan had another good shot saved by Dunk before the same
fate fell to another effort from Matt Groves.
When Stef Lee appeared to have been fouled in Bitton’s penalty area, shouts from the home crowd for
a penalty were turned down. The resulting corner found Mike Grist whose header went wide.
Just when the crowd were saying the immortal words, ‘This one’s got nil-nil written all over it’, Bitton
took the lead. It was 40 minutes into the second half when Karim Randall showed some skilful work,
bringing the ball through the centre and found Matt Groves unmarked on the right who controlled the
ball and rifled it into the roof of the net,
giving Matt Dunk no chance.
Worse fate then befell the home team when
Stef Lee was sent off after a scuffle with
Bitton’s goalkeeper Rob Brown. Matt Brown
had a header just wide of the target when
two minutes into stoppage time Keynsham
forced a corner. It was taken by Harley
Purnell, coming off the bench late on it was
good to see our creative midfielder back on
the pitch. He hit the kick from the
leftstrongly to the far side of the penalty area
and Mike Grist met it with a powerful header
back into the top, right hand corner.