Keys keen to be mean (From Campaign Series)

Keys keen to be mean

2:30pm Friday 7th October 2011 in Latest sport By Chris Kirwan

CROSS Keys eyes are firmly focused on double Ds for tomorrow’s trip to Swansea – defence and discipline.

The Pandy Park outfit head to St Helen’s on the back of a gut-wrentching loss at Bridgend.

Keys fought back from 21-11 down only to let a 29-27 lead slip at the death and they were left to rue a pair of costly yellow cards.

Head coach Greg Woods has hammered home that a repeat cannot be afforded against the Whites tomorrow.

“We will need to cover every blade of grass and there will be big holes for their dangerous runners if we are down to 14 men,” he said.

“I don’t think discipline has been a problem over the last eight months but the boys have had a gentle reminder about keeping on top of it.

“Saturday was a return to the Cross Keys of old and it was a demonstration of how to blow a win away from home, they were told that in no uncertain terms. It was frustrating because it was a great effort to come back from where we were. The yellow cards and penalties killed us.

“Hopefully they will have learnt the lesson and we will produce a performance that continues from the second half rather than the first when we were sloppy in defence.

“We’ll need to be on the money both defensively and in terms of discipline because Swansea are a threat from anywhere on their own patch.”

A big blow for Keys is the loss of playmaker and points machine Steffan Jones, the No 10 missing the match with a hip injury.

In-form hooker Gerwyn Price is on the bench with Jamie Sollis coming into the middle of the front row.

Josh Robinson is given a chance to impress in midfield.

Cross Keys: G David, M Johnstone, J Robinson, L Andrews, N Trowbridge, S Mills, R Dyer, I George, J Sollis, M Jones, D Hodge, T Lampard, R Peebles, A N Other, R Williams. Replacements: G Price, L Rawlins, R Cornock, C Trayhern, J Benjamin, K Baller, L Williams, O Jones.