Becks moved back to the Premier South summit with a comfortable win over The Knappers.

An early goal from Steve Townsend and a second-half brace from substitute Louie Theophanous securing a 3-1 victory. 

One of just two games to survive the deluge that followed the havoc of Storm Eunice, The Reds were on the front foot from the start and could have been ahead inside sixty seconds when Joe Healy found himself in – but with his back to goal bizarrely opted to pass rather than shoot. After an out of sorts Mudi Wanogho picked up a very early booking, Townsend then had an effort saved – all inside the first four minutes. 

On 12 minutes, Healy found himself in space centrally, thirty yards from goal. The stylish leftie released Townsend who stepped inside his full-back and lashed home the opener from 10 yards out. The young striker almost added to his tally twice inside the next 10 minutes – first firing high and wide when well placed and then having another effort saved by impressive 18-year old Knaphill keeper Jos Barker after a deflected effort broke to him in the area. 

Townsend was involved again on 28 minutes when good work down the left with Tunde Aderonmu created a one on one chance for Freddie Nyhus, but with the goal at his mercy the teenager’s effort was too close to Barker who made another good save. Within a minute a raking crossfield pass from right-back Harvey Brand released Townsend whose effort was this time deflected away for a corner. 

Then came the move of the match. Healy picked up possession 35 yards out and gracefully slipped away from his marker before exchanging passes with captain Danny Waldren – the return a delightful back heel. Now out on the right, Healy found Nyhus whose cross was met first-time on the edge of the area by Waldren’s half-volley – the ball thundering back off the crossbar with Barker for once a mere spectator. Waldren then fed Townsend who cut inside two defenders only to see a curling effort saved, before a rare error by the skipper gifted Knaphill a breakaway attack.

Becks re-asserted themselves and forced two more corners before Aderonmu from just inside Knaphill’s half swept a crossfield pass over left-back Jack Mitchell into the path of the galloping Brand who went sprawling inside the area after the two players then came together. The referee had little hesitation in pointing to the spot. Townsend stepped up to get the second goal his lively first-half performance deserved only to see Barker save a well-struck effort. Onto the rebound like a flash was Waldren who stretched every sinew to turn the ball back across goal for Townsend to roll-in from close-range – only for the effort to be ruled out for offside.

Becks emerged for the second-half with Wanogho replaced by Harvey Hanifan but it was Knaphill who almost grabbed a surprise equaliser within a minute of the restart when sub Owen Tanner’s ball across the six-yard box from the right just evaded Timmy Taylor as he bared down on goal. 

The hosts settled again and should have doubled their lead when Waldren stole possession and surged forward before slipping in Aderonmu. But the big forward was having one of his off days and fired wide. Knaphill’s George Butler then saw yellow after pulling back Healy. Callum Henry following him into the book shortly afterwards after mistiming a challenge. 

Having already put Theophanous and Shameek Farrell on for Nyhus and Aderonmu, The Reds then replaced the busy Nick Curran with the more attack-minded Jamie Humphris. With 23 minutes left, a good team move saw Waldren again slip in a striker on the left-hand side of the area, but this time Theophanous’ first-time finish was explosive – the bulging net signalling the doubling of the lead. 

Sensing the kill, left-back Archie Johnson – who had one of his best games of the season, always offering himself in attacks and putting everything into a tireless defensive performance – then fired in from distance. Just three minutes after his first, Theophanous bagged his second goal of the day. The deceptively tricky Farrell carried the ball in from the right along the edge of the area before finding the big striker whose finish was emphatic. 

With 15 minutes left Alfie Bloomfield came on for Townsend but with victory assured the intensity had dropped and Nick Blue had already saved well after his own error and the impressive Butler had fizzed a good shot in from distance before a mix-up between Waldren and Healy gifted the visitors possession and they broke quickly to score an 86th minute consolation goal – substitute Jack Williamson firing across Blue into the opposite corner from 18 yards out.

BECKS: Blue; Brand, Johnson, Henry, Wanogho (Hanifan 45); Curran (Humphris 63), Waldren (c), Healy, Nyhus (Theophanous 60), Aderonmu (Farrell 60), Townsend (Bloomfield 75).

PHOTO: Ryan Asman