Louie Doubles Up for K’s Win in Suffolk
Tactical nous; an eye for a good player; motivational skills; fundraising abilities; man-management skills; knowing when to change things.
There are many different skills that a non-league manager might want or need, but sometimes the most important of all is having the right contacts book when the squad needs freshening up.
When Ks signed Louie Theophanus on loan from Billericay, along with Leo Chambers, Leigh Dynan thanked Billericay owner-manager Glenn Tamplin for making the deal happen. And Theophanus has now been central to turning Ks' form around - after playing a leading role in the 4-1 win over Enfield, he then scored both goals as Ks saw off relegation rivals Needham Market.
This was not the sort of rampant, free-flowing performance that Ks put in against Enfield. In fact beyond Theophanus' two goals, there was barely another time when Ks threatened home goalkeeper Danny Gay, making his 200th start for the club. But instead it was a professional performance, where Chambers and his colleagues in the new-look back four looked solid and from the moment of Theophanus' third minute opener it never seemed as if Ks wouldn't win.
It was almost a disastrous start for Ks as Luke Ingram fired narrowly wide for the home side. But a moment later Dynan's men were in front, Theophanus picking the ball up on the edge of the box and calmly placing the ball into bottom corner of the home side's net. Tolfrey had only one serious save to make in the rest of an uneventful first half, saving from Adam Mills, as both sides stifled each other's creativity.
Theophanus all-but sealed the game just after the break, expertly taking a ball down on the edge of the box and then placing it past Gay, off the inside of the box. It was a fine finish from a player who has revitalised the Ks attack.
From there on Ks were mostly able to shut the game down although Market created sporadic chances. The best fell to John Sands, who headed wide, and Mills, who also failed to test Rob Tolfrey.
Sands did manage to pull a goal back at the start of injury time and with the referee allowing an extra six minutes to be played, for reasons that weren't entirely clear, it meant for a nervous end to the game for Ks. But they didn't allow their opponents another shot in anger and closed the game out for a vital win.
Match report by Simon Grier.
