Countrywide Forklift Training Division 1
Prosperous United FC 2 Castle Villa AFC 4
Villa gained some much needed points following this 4-2 hard fought victory over Prosperous United in the Countrywide Forklift Training Division 1. The visitors got off to a great start and took the lead when Jody Dunne got on the end of some good build up play to poke the ball to the net after 5 minutes. The Villa midfield three of Stephen McDonald, Danny Murphy and James Clifford were controlling the centre and their dynamism and quality was proving the difference between the two sides. Their second goal of the game came from a set piece however, when an excellently placed free kick from Brian Mackey found it's way to the Prosperous net, the home side will feel that they may have dealt better with it. The two goal lead was a fair reflection on the game however, and it could have been more as the woodwork was rattled twice in the space of a couple of minutes from Stephen McDonald and Brian Mackey.
Prosperous for their part were not giving up on it however, and they were getting some joy down the flanks, but Villa full backs, the excellent Gary Lambe and 17 year old Mark O'Doherty were playing well and dealt well with the threats.
The second half certainly saw a more even contest, but it was going to take something special from Prosperous to get back on terms, and that fight was made infinitely harder when Jody Dunne picked the ball up fully 40 metres from goal and drilled a magnificent ball past the helpless goalkeeper Kilgallon - the ball never went above head height and it was certainly the best goal of the day.
Prosperous pulled the margin back to two with a well worked goal on the hour mark with a great break down the left by the returning Jamie Cullen who pulled back from the end-line for Delaney to finish confidentiality giving Villa keeper Phil Gaynor no chance.
Both teams were reduced to ten men with twenty minutes remaining, but for vastly differing reasons, a red card was issued to the Prosperous #10, and Villa's Danny Murphy had a recurrence of an injury that's kept him out since the 19th of May and hopefully his recovery goes well. With no subs to call on, Villa also were reduced in numbers. They pulled the wide players, Sean Hickey who had one of his finest games in Villa blue, and Ben Gately in narrower, giving up some of the width which had served them well up to that point. That width now had to come from the full backs where possible and come it did when right back O'Doherty ran into space on the flank, and found the busy James Clifford near the Prosperous endline, who put a delicious ball in towards the back post where Ben Gately got his first senior goal for Villa with an excellent finish while running at speed.
To their credit, Prosperous did not let their heads drop, and they were rewarded when they scored their second of the game to again narrow the gap to two with ten minutes remaining when Nathan Moore scored a great individual goal with a well placed shot from distance into the bottom corner 2-4. As almost always happens towards the end of games, Prosperous pushed hard for another goal which would have set up a grandstand finish but led by Mackey and another player returning from a long lay off, the imperious James Byrne, Villa held on for the win to claim a valuable three points in their push to survive what's been an testing season for the South Kildare club, to say the least.
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