TEMPLE VILLA 1 KILLEIGH FC 0
Temple Villa were looking to take advantage of the inactivity of the top two in Division Two when they entertained Killeigh FC in Moate Business College last Saturday night and a hard-fought win saw Villa move to within a point of the leaders BBC United.
A headed goal from Jason Hyland following a corner kick in the first half settled the contest. Home goalkeeper Paul Bannon made a number of vital saves, including one late in the second half, to deny the visitors a share of the spoils.
Most of the action took place in the opening half. David Cleary had the first chance for Villa with the first corner soon following, while Killeigh’s Ryan Maher had a shot blocked by Bannon from their first chance.
Alex Bolton was also denied by the keeper. Villa took control of the game and were eventually rewarded with what proved to be the winning goal. Earlier, Daniel Seery had drilled a free kick over the bar while Hyland was also off target with a headed effort.
On 27 minutes, Anthony Allen looked set to score but Killeigh keeper Ryan Kinnaghan stood up to block the goal bound strike. Three further corners followed for Villa.
It was proving a frustrating night though when Allen fired wide but the deadlock was finally broken on 38 minutes when Seery’s delivery from a corner kick was headed home by Hyland from close range. It was a crucial score.
Padraic Horan was off target from Killeigh’s last chance while Kinnaghan made another good save to again deny Allen in the last action.
The second half failed to live up to expectations. Killeigh came more into contention but lacked the finishing touch. When play resumed, Villa were on the offensive as Kinnaghan denied Allen with just two minutes played.
Aside from a couple of corners, it was the final time the Killeigh defence was under any sort of pressure. Both keepers were again in top form as Bannon did well to save a shot from Shane Dunne.
Villa’s response came from two corner kicks, the key moment coming on 81 minutes when Bannon again came to Villa’s rescue, Keith Byrne having a shot blocked by the keeper at the expense of a corner.
A further corner followed as Villa hung on. The Mount Temple outfit looked a spent force at this stage but Killeigh could not take advantage during the closing stages. A series of late corners pinned Villa back on the defensive as Kinnaghan came forward from his goal to lend a hand to the away attack.
In spite of this, the breakthrough never came as the gallant visitors fell agonisingly short of earning just their fifth point of the campaign. Villa were relieved when the final whistle brought proceedings to an end as their third win in a row proved more difficult to earn than expected.
Philly Dully’s men are now up to second on the league table just a point behind BBC with the teams set to meet at the weekend.
