Special Ks

The Season So Far:

Keynsham Town were promoted to the Western League Premier Division at the end of last season. On the opening day they were handed a tough away game against Bradford Town which the Wiltshire side won 4-2. The K’s bounced back a few days later with a 2-0 home win over Wellington. The extra-preliminary round saw a local derby with Keynsham at home against league rivals Brislington. Town would have been disappointed to crash out after a 0-1 loss. Their most recent game saw them come up against Street who last season were voluntarily relegated from the Southern League. This match finished 2-1 to the Somerset side.

Roman Glass St George have had a mixed start to the season. Their opening league game saw them at face Odd Down at home and the Bath-based team would’ve been chuffed to leave Bristol with all 3 points after a 1-2 win. There was no midweek game for Roman Glass, but the opening round of the FA Cup tied them with Buckinghamshire’s Winslow United. A five goal thriller ensued and the Bristolians made the long trip home knowing they would face Didcot Town, away, in the next round. Last weekend Roman Glass faced near neighbours Hallen at home and suffered the same fate as Keynsham; losing 1-2.

The season is still in its very early stages and both team will still surely be optimistic of having a successful year. Keynsham will look to avoid an instant return to Division One, while Roman Glass St George will look to build on last season’s 17th place finish.

The Visit:

For those not so familiar with the geography of the West Country – or the area surrounding Bristol at least – Keynsham is a popular commuter town between Bath and it’s larger neighbour. It is perhaps most famous for once being home to a Cadbury Chocolate Factory which was closed and turned into a retirement complex. My journey there from Trowbridge on the train involves going in one side of Bath and out the other, through the green and pleasant green belt – there are certainly worse train rides out there i’m sure! From the station it is a short downhill walk, past Trescothick Close (named after local cricketing hero Marcus), past the rugby club and into the car park of Crown Fields (otherwise known as The AJN Stadium). The ground has clearly had some money spent on it recently – the new 4G pitch and the rather posh looking changing rooms (at least the bits I could peer at) were testament to that. Facility-wise everything is happening on the one side with a solid-looking stand with a mixture of seating and a small amount of terracing. Within the stand is the club house, toilets and the changing rooms. The remainder of the perimeter is open for standing, with the end nearest the entrance raised above pitch level.

Roman Glass St George, hailing for the north-eastern reaches of Bristol, and based at the HQ of the Gloucestershire FA, should be used to playing on artificial pitches such as the one at Crown Fields. And in fairness this did show as the match began fairly evenly. A few early shots were fired off by both sides, one of which from the visitors grazed the crossbar on its way into the fencing behind. Glass survived a scare midway through the half as Keynsham broke but shot over from 40 yards with the away keeper scurrying backwards. The Bristolians’ luck would not hold out just a few minutes later as the home number 8 Ben Dowdell curled home from range – a lovely finish. An injury to Keynsham centre back Mike Grist gave the players the opportunity for a drinks break, but sadly led to Grist being substituted. Roman Glass probed for a leveller but didn’t really test Ash Clark in the home goal.

The second half began and soon Clark was called into action – making a fine save down to his right, tipping a low shot round the post. Around the hour mark Keynsham doubled their lead. Great build up and a low cross duly converted by captain Harley Purnell. The Ks must have been thinking the 3 points were safe. That was until Glass pulled one back shortly after – Ryan Radford not giving Clark a chance. 2-1. Both teams had chances to score again – the Roman Glass keeper keeping them in the game on at least one occasion, and to be fair to the home side they didn’t just sit back and park the bus. They perhaps should have wrapped it up with another chance on the break but the final shot was hoofed over. Try as they might Glass couldn’t find the equaliser and they suffered another 2-1 defeat. I though they looked a good team and I would expect them to remain in the Premier Division. Likewise Keynsham who are newcomers to the league after promotion last season.

This was my second visit to Crown Fields after my visit last season (which Keynsham lost 0-3 to Cheddar, showing little sign of their title-winning credentials!). I have thoroughly enjoyed both and have been impressed by the amount of locals turning up even to these evening games. I hope to return in the not-too-distant future.

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