Derriaghy CC 2nds 2 vs 6 Abbey Villa F.C 2nds

NAFL 3A Result:

Derriaghy CC 2nds 2 v 6 Abbey Villa 2nds

Goals:

Thomas Drysdale ?

James King ?

Curtis Shannon ?

Jake Rainey ?

Jim Robinson ?

Carson Mann ?

Villa 2nds travelled to Seycon Park yesterday, for their league fixture against Derriaghy 2nds. The visitors emerged with a commanding 2:6 win in a thrilling contest, overseen by referee Ted Heffer.

Villa started brightly and took the lead in the 11th minute when Thomas Drysdale capitalised on a slick team move. Kyle Irwin provided a neat short pass to set Drysdale free, who finished confidently to open the scoring. The hosts responded and managed to draw level before half-time, scoring twice through defensive errors from Villa’s backline. The first came in the 33rd minute, followed by another in the 42nd, leaving the score at 2-1 to Derriaghy at the interval.

The second half saw Derriaghy receive a yellow card for a bad tackle on Villa's Curtis Shannon just three minutes after the restart, which appeared to disrupt their rhythm. Villa quickly seized the initiative with a series of goals that turned the game decisively in their favour. James King restored parity in the 56th minute with a composed solo effort, expertly set up by a short pass from Curtis Shannon.

Barely a minute later, Curtis Shannon himself struck from long range, again assisted by Kyle Irwin’s short corner, to put Villa ahead for the first time in the match. The visitors continued to press, and in the 60th minute, skipper Jake Rainey scored from inside the box following a clever flick on assist from James Edwards, from Kyle Iwins corner. Three minutes on, Jim Robinson added to the tally with a goal inside the box, expertly finished into the roof of the net after receiving a pass from Kyle Irwin. This was Jim's 1st goal for the 2nds.

Kyle Irwin’s influence was undeniable as he provided the assist once more in the 68th minute, this time delivering a precise cross for striker Carson Mann to complete a fine team move and extend Villa’s lead to 6:2.

Tactical substitutions followed as Cameron Watts replaced Thomas Drysdale in the 70th minute to maintain attacking impetus. Five minutes later, an injury forced Jake Rainey off, with Cameron Montgomery coming on to shore up the defence. Andrew Edwards was brought on for Jim Robinson in the 78th minute as part of a tactical reshuffle to see out the game.

Villa’s dominance in the second half was marked by their clinical finishing and cohesive team play, with Curtis Shannon standing out as the man of the match for his pivotal role in midfield both in creating and scoring goals. This comprehensive victory at Seycon Park will boost Villa’s confidence as they continue their league campaign. 7 league game remain, next up is Comber Rec 2nds on Tuesday night at Adams Park 6:30pm.

MOTM: Curtis Shannon

#Special mention for James Boyd who had to step in to goals on the day due to the extensive injuries/absences around the club currently. Well done Boydy.???