Keswick 5 Knutsford 2

KNUTSFORD never recovered from a disastrous opening on Saturday, during which they conceded three times.

The Black Knights were punished for surrendering possession cheaply, though they started a recovery when player-coach Simon Trenbirth saw more of the ball in midfield.

Captain Dave Price reduced their arrears when he converted a short corner, paving the way for the visitors’ best spell.

They thought they had closed the gap further, only for a goal to be disallowed by an umpire who had already blown the whistle to award a set piece.

Knutsford continued to attack after the interval, and did make it 3-2 following another well-worked short corner.

Tom Lewis applied the finishing touch for the visitors.

At the other end, Dave Hickson capped a fine performance between the posts by stopping a Keswick flick.

However it proved in vain as the home team established again a two-goal cushion when they sent a shot into the bottom corner.

A fifth goal followed with time running out, this time following a counter after Knutsford committed players to attack.

“We’ve a few things to think about,” reflected Price afterwards.

“There’s no doubt Keswick were the better team, so we’ll need to reconsider our patterns and positions on the pitch.”

The Black Knights hosts neighbours Macclesfield at Knutsford Leisure Centre this Saturday, push back 2pm.