Wednesday 21st November 2001  

England U20 1 - 0 Portugal U20 

The Southern Daily Echo - Thursday, November 22, 2001

    St Mary's hosted it's first win of the season and a Southampton born player scored the winner.
    But it was not Saints and Wayne Bridge that were on the victorious side, but England under-20's and midfield star Joe Keenan.
    The 19-year-old, who scooped the man-of-the=match award, was born and bred in shirley, and even represented Saints until he moved to the national school of excellence at Lilleshall and then on to Chelsea, where he is now.
    Having been to school at Springhill RC Catholic School opposite the Dell, a Springhill Kid and son of John Keenan a Springhill Dad, Keenan was also a Saints supporter as a boy and always dreamed of playing at Saints' former home.
    That was not to be, but he can now say he was the first Southampton-born player to score at St Mary's after his 74th minute winner against the Portugal under-20's.
     Keenan said, "I was at Southampton until I was 14 and went to Chelsea, but as a boy I grew up a Saints fan.
    "I always wanted to play at the Dell and I played for Southampton schoolboys who play there once a year. But I missed out because I was at Lillieshall and then Chelsea reserves played there last season but I was injured.
    But coming to play here at St Mary's and then score is just as good. It is a really nice ground and definately a step up from the Dell, the pitch is a great surface."
    Keenan, a former Tyro League player with Winsor, scored the only goal of what was a forgetable game when a corner was not properly cleared by the Portugese defence and he stole in at the far post to ram the ball home.
    The shot took a deflection but there was no doubt it was Keenan's goal.
    A mindboggling statistic was that the game drew a larger crowd than the visit of Manchester United did to the Dell last season with one or two extras coming to see someone called Peter Crouch?
    But thankfully for the Saints faithful it was Keenan who was the star turn playing on the left of a midfield three.
    England coach Les Reed said of Keenen: "If I was a manager and needed a player I would certainly try and get him on loan.
    "I have known Joe since he was 12 or 13, and he will have suffered because of his small size but he is a very promising midfield player."

Chelsea youngster stars for England  
    Thursday, November 22, 2001

    Nineteen year old midfielder Joe Keenan scored the only goal of the game last night as England Under 20s beat Portugal 1-0 at Southampton’s St Mary’s ground. Fifteen minutes from the end he tucked home a loose ball after Portugal failed to clear a corner.
    Blues assistant manager Gwyn Williams watched the game. “It was a very strong England team. They played 4-3-3 and Joe played on the left of the three. “Joe’s a Southampton born and bred boy, born 200 yards from Southampton Football Club, and was really disappointed when we played our reserve game there early in the season because he was injured. Now he’s won an England match instead.
   “He’s a very gifted technical player, short and long passing, he’s quick, left footed, and another one who went through the national school at Lilleshall.”
A week ago Joe scored the winner for Chelsea Reserves at home to Coventry. He has been an unused substitute twice this season for the first team, away and at home to Hapoel Tel-Aviv.