Saintfield Just Beaten In Tight Match With Woodvale
The NAFL,
Division 1C, League Match,
Venue: Pigeon Hill. Date: Saturday 17th August 2024.
Saintfield United 0 1 Woodvale.
Saintfield United welcomed Woodvale to Pigeon Hill on Saturday, with the visitors having made a winning start to their league campaign and sitting on top of the NAFL Division 1C.
They started on the front foot, and took the lead when Black and Dillon combined to tee up Watters to open the scoring at the end of a swift counter attack.
Woodvale almost added to their lead before the break on two occasions, but Saintfield keeper Lewis Patmore did well to tip Dickson’s angled drive wide, and Black missed the target from six yards when tee’d up by Watters.
At the other end, Ethan Barr went closest to equalising for the Saints, drawing a save from Winstone in the Woodvale goal, before the keeper smothered Jordan Patmore’s rebound from the resulting loose ball.
Just before the break, Barr shot narrowly wide at the back post after Brown had flicked on Sofley’s corner.
Woodvale almost killed off the game early in the second half, but Patmore blocked Black’s close-range effort, and the post denied Dickson when he curled in a shot from distance.
Thereafter, the match was quite scrappy, with the home side searching for a equaliser and Woodvale threatening on the break.
Neither side created any clear chances, and the visitors secured all three points. Both sides had chances and with better finishing Saintfield could have got something from the game.
For long periods in this game there was little to separate both teams with half chances at both ends and the game was settled on 11 minutes when Woodvale forward Robert Black finished well when set up by a perfect pass from Kyle Dillon.
Saintfield rallied well but could not find a way past the Woodvale rearguard of McAllister and Dickson while at the other end Kirkland and Duff found it difficult to manage the physicality of Woodvale forward Robert Black but stuck to the task gamely.
Saintfield United: Lewis Patmore, Alex McClenaghan, Oliver Duff, Aaron Milligan, Aaron Kirkland, Owen Murray, Matthew Boyle, Adam Brown, Jordan Patmore, Ryan Sofley, Ethan Barr: Subs – C McCloskey for Oliver Duff, Nasseem Ouldhamlet for Matthew Boyle , Adam Childs for Jordan Patmore.
Woodvale FC: Thomas Winstone , R Bingham, Samuel Parkinson, Dean McAllister, Thomas Dickson, Billy McQuiston, Luke McCausland, Blake Watters, Robert Black, Jonathan Kelly, Kyle Dillon. Subs: Graham Aston for R Bingham, Daniel Ellis for Kyle Dillon, Aaron McFarland for Jonathan Kelly.
