JAMES ANDERSON says there is nobody he would rather have between the Woodley United posts than Alex Reed.
The young goalkeeper was the hero again on Monday night, saving two penalties as the Kestrels marched into the quarter-finals of the Berks and Bucks Senior Cup with victory at Beaconsfield Town – a side who compete a level above in the league pyramid.
And this is not the first team Reed has stolen the headlines, also producing a vital stop in a shoot-out win over Abingdon United in the previous round.
“We joke that Alex deliberately plays for penalties because he enjoys it so much,” Woodley boss Anderson told The Wokingham Paper.
“Alex is great. If you saw him last season, he was outstanding.
“I think this season it perhaps took him a couple of games to find his feet in the league, but he’s brilliant.
“There’s no other keeper I’d rather have in our goal than him.
“It’s like he’s got glue on his gloves!”
But Reed very nearly did not have his chance to shine as Woodley twice led their more illustrious opponents through goals from Jaydyn Englefield and Toby Briggs.
A late equaliser tied the game up at 2-2 before the Kestrels triumphed 4-3 on penalties to set up a quarter-final trip to Thatcham Town.
And Anderson was delighted with the performance.
“It was just good to be honest to get on a nice playing surface and play some good football,” he said.
“It’s the stuff we do in training week in, week out. Taking it into a game is different.
“The lads just played with much more confidence. I think we’ve had a good bit of form recently and when you’re playing confidently, it’s easier to play good football.”
He continued: “The games come thick and fast so people are carrying knocks and little injuries and it’s difficult to have people play 90 minutes on Saturday and then 90 minutes again on Monday.
“Thankfully we’ve got a very good squad so it’s good to rotate and I think one of the strengths of our system is that everyone knows their roles so well.
“Somebody can come straight in and do the same job. It’s good to have that from the squad.”
The win on Monday was the latest in a string of history-making Woodley feats.
This is the club’s first season in the Hellenic Premier and they also made their FA Cup bow back in August, while victory over Beaconsfield was the first time the Kestrels have beaten a step four side.
“It’s great for the club,” said Anderson.
“You see how hard Mark Rozzier (general manager) and Colum (Moon), the chairman, work behind the scenes.
“It’s really a great victory we can get for them after all the effort they put in off the field and have done for the last few years.
“It just so happens that we’re the players and manager who are delivering it now.”
Focus quickly switches to two more league games with a trip to Windsor on Saturday before a home clash with struggling Burnham on Monday evening.
“The Windsor game is one we’ve been looking forward to since the fixtures came out,” said the Woodley boss.
“It’s a really nice set-up there and they’re a good club who play nice football. We’re looking forward to pitting our wits against them.
“Then it’s the games against those teams in and around us, like Burnham on Monday and Lydney the following Saturday.
“They’ll be real battles and it’s up to us to have the discipline to go into those games and not only pull out performances, but also battle and compete for everything.”
