PICTURE by Edryd Jones.
LIVERPOOL have Jordan Henderson, Real Madrid have Sergio Ramos and Cemaes Bay have Keenan Downey. Okay, they might be worlds apart in quality, but in terms of the heart and passion they show for their respective clubs, I’d say they might just be closer than you think.
Downey is a central midfielder at the Bay who, after coming through the youth ranks of the club, knows what it means to play in that all red kit.
After some time away from Cemaes with Welsh Alliance side Bodedern Athletic, the 23-year-old returned to School Lane in the summer of 2019 – alongside a host of other former players who were reunited with returning manager Darren Thomas and his assistant Alan Gray who had also made their way back to the Anglesey League club.
And in the season that followed, Downey was to be one of the stars at the club and, indeed, in the league as a whole.
A strong of impressive performances saw the player score 15 goals and assist 19 for his team-mates in just 22 appearances during a season in which he also suffered an injury which kept him out for weeks.
A particular personal highlight for both Downey and the club this season came in a 20-0 win over Holyhead Town, in which he bagged a hat-trick. On top of that, he’s also been awarded six Man of the Match performances by the opposition along the way.
He helped his side pip rivals Mountain Rangers to the AL title on Points Per Game (PPG) following a season which was cut short thanks to the Coronavirus pandemic. It was the first time in the clubs history that they had won the title (although their Reserves team did win it in 1999/2000).
To top it all off, Downey was selected as my AL Player of the Season back in May. A player for the big occasion and undoubtedly the best of the best in the AL last season.
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