Keswick’s Men’s First team put up a spirited performance at home to League leaders Neston before going down 2-1.
The pace Keswick set-off at didn’t give the visitors time to settle and for the first 20 minutes, anyone not aware of league placings would have said it was the home team that were top of the league.
Tom Morgan and Ben Harrison were consistently carving the visitors midfield to pieces, making space for their forwards to exploit. Only a couple of good saves from Neston’s keeper stopped Keswick from taking a deserved lead.
On nine minutes, after another blockbusting run from Morgan ended with a deft pass to Dan Owen, the Keswick forward was only stopped with a crunching challenge from the keeper and last defender.
It left him on the floor, with Keswick receiving a short corner.
Mark Proctor took the corner which went to Morgan who’s shot beat the advancing defenders and keeper to give Keswick a deserved lead.
On 20 minutes Neston were awarded a short corner after the ball hit a Keswick foot in the D, and when the ball reached the stick of Jack Hussey, he made no mistake to draw his side level as his shot beat the Keswick defence.
All square at the break, the second half was much like the first with Keswick pressing, but Neston having found their feet, responding and showing why they are top of the league.
The game turned into a physical battle as well as a tactical one – both teams sensing the victory was there for the taking.
Perhaps the biggest turning point of the game came when Morgan had to go off injured, which gave the visitors a bit of respite from the pressure his aerial passes had been putting them under, and his running game that had forced their midfield onto the back foot.
On 17 minutes Neston’s Ewan McPherson was able to turn the ball into the Keswick net after a shot from the right of the D had gone through a sea of legs and reached him on the left post. It proved to be the winner!
