Liverpool University 2s vs Keswick 2s

Keswick began the journey south knowing that they were in for a tough day, with opposition Liverpool beating Keswick’s closest rivals Urmston 15-0 last time out.
The game started very quickly, taking the Keswick defence of Chris Bicknell, Ewan Maddrell, Will Anderson and Patrick Eames by surprise. With Keswick living dangerously in the first 10 minutes, fantastic saves and last ditch defending, as well as some suspect finishing from the Liverpool side, allowed Keswick to gain a foothold in the game before too much damage was done. It wasn’t long, however, before the deadlock was broken and a reverse stick shot to the top corner eventually beat Man of the Match Keeper Dave Harris to make it 1-0 to the University side. As Keswick grew into the game, still very much under pressure from constant Liverpool attacks, midfield trio of Dean Ward, Matty Burridge and Ben Farnworth worked very hard to protect the defence, restricting the Liverpool side to much fewer chances. After yet more great saves from Keeper Harris, and an outstanding mid-air clearance from Eames, Liverpool doubled their lead with a swift passing move.
The incisive nature of the Keswick attacks, although few and far between in the first half, provided hope for the second half as Keswick grew into the game. Hard working wingers Jack Law, Olly Clark (in only his second game for the 2nd XI) and Mikey Watson worked well on the counter attack, feeding the ball into David Thomas up front, supported by the driving runs from deep by Burridge and Farnworth. The half time whistle came with the score at 2-0, after Keswick asked a few questions of a seemingly lacklustre Liverpool defence.
The second half began with much more promise for the Keswick side, managing to push higher up the pitch and winning the ball in more advanced positions. This led to a number of chances for Keswick, and a goal eventually came through an exquisite aerial pass from Law into Thomas, who held off the defender before teeing up Farnworth on the run to go clear and finish smartly past the advancing Liverpool Keeper. The chances kept coming for Keswick as they pushed forward looking for an equaliser, with Farnworth pinching the ball off the Liverpool defence and just unable to thread the ball through to Thomas to go clear. With the University side almost working on the counter attack now, strong defensive play kept them at bay, as well as scores of great saves from Harris – a deserved Man of the Match. Keswick lost some impetus with influential defensive midfielder Burridge having to go off for 15 minutes in the second half, however his role was admirably filled by Bicknell. Liverpool slowly worked their way back into the game after the shock of the first 10 minutes of the second half and finishing the game strongly. With the midfield having to drop further back to cover the defence, Liverpool continued to be frustrated with excellent blocks from the defence and exemplary shot stopping from Harris. After repeated well defended short corners the pressure eventually told with Liverpool grabbing a third goal through a well worked routine. Keswick kept pushing but the fourth goal came not long after.
The game finished 4-1 but Keswick can be proud of their performance against a stronger, more experienced university side. Keswick hope that a performance of this quality can be converted into a result next Saturday as they host Urmston.