Ex-Phoenix keeper keen to surprise
Keegan Smith’s wish came true when his current club, Devonport City Strikers, were drawn to play his former club, Wellington Phoenix, in round 32 of the Australia Cup.
The NPL Tasmania leaders will host the Phoenix at a packed house Valley Road Ground on Wednesday in a genuine David versus Goliath mismatch that pits a team of amateurs, most of them tradies, against fulltime pros.
The knockout fixture will be one of the biggest in Devonport’s history but the occasion promises to be extra special for their New Zealand goalkeeper.
Smith spent the 2017-18 A-League Men season with the Phoenix after being plucked out of the academy and thrust into a starting role when he was a schoolboy.
The entire Devonport squad gathered at their clubrooms on the night of the draw, and Smith said everyone had their fingers crossed for an A-League side even if it meant a much tougher path to the round of 16 stage.
Smith said he had a funny feeling that Devonport would get paired with the Phoenix.
‘‘To be honest I was sort of joking with the boys in the lead-up to the draw that we’re going to get the Phoenix at home,’’ Smith said.
‘‘They did the first half of the draw and there were eight A-League teams and eight NPL teams left and both Devonport and the Phoenix were still in it so I thought the odds are getting pretty good now, we might get an A-League team and we might get the Phoenix.
‘‘Everyone was having pizzas and beers and there was a massive cheer when we got a home draw down at Valley Road because it’s a pretty big occasion.
‘‘They’re hoping for a crowd of 4000-5000 which would be unbelievable. Everyone was buzzing to get an A-League team and of course it means a bit extra for me who used to play for them.’’
Smith bounced around a few different Central League clubs following his release from the Phoenix in 2018 but after becoming frustrated by injuries and a lack of consistent game time, he decided to step out of his comfort zone last year and headed to Devonport, a town of about 30,000 people in northern Tasmania after his agent Calvin Lee found him a gig with the Strikers.
It has been the perfect place for Smith to regain his confidence as he looks to work his way back up to the professional ranks again.
Devonport currently lead the NPL Tasmania competition by nine points, having won 13 of their first 15 games.
They have only conceded 10 goals with Smith registering 11 clean sheets across all competitions.
There have been some funny moments off the field too. He was there the day former Australian prime minister Scott Morrison accidentally tackled a child during a visit to the football club.
‘‘I wasn’t sure what to expect when I came over here because Devonport is quite a small town, especially from Wellington where there’s a lot going on but I’m loving it.
‘‘I’ve been doing lots of coaching which I enjoy. I take the under eights at the club and some of the older goalkeepers.
‘‘I think this club definitely suits me and the results, I’ve kept 11 clean sheets in 16 games and it’s been really good for me to get a good run of games at a good level. I feel like I’ve landed on my feet, that’s for sure.’’
As for their midweek clash with the Phoenix, Smith is well aware Devonport will be massive underdogs against a team that made it all the way to the Australia Cup semifinals last season, but he hoped they would give his former club a good run for their money, helped by the fact they were already in season.
‘‘I think everybody expects the Phoenix to come down here and have quite an easy game of it but I’m aware they’re only three-four weeks into preseason whereas we’ve had a tough season,’’ he said.
‘‘We’ve been training three times a week plus games for four months now and we’ve got a lot of team chemistry.
‘‘We’ve scored a lot of goals but haven’t conceded many so if it is a backs to the wall job I think we have the personnel to do it.
‘‘It will be great to be on the field with A-League opposition especially a team so close to home and hopefully we can beat them, it would make it so much sweeter.’’