Villa fire five past Newbridge for a second time
Newbridge Town's Moses Alabi holds off the challenge from Villa's John Tamen
It was a mixed weekend for the Russell family. While Sean Russell led Shelbourne to famous win in the Club Orange FAI Womens Cup Final against Athlone Town on Sunday, 24-hours earlier his father Martin had no joy with his Newbridge Town team as they slumped to a 5-0 away defeat to Villa FC in the FAI National League.
It was the second time this season that Villa scored five past Newbridge and the only consolation is that they won’t have to face the Waterford side again this season.
The final scoreline reflected Villa’s dominance over the ninety minutes. They were sharper in possession, stronger defensively and far more clinical in front of goal as Newbridge struggled to cope with the pace and movement of the home side.
From the first whistle Villa looked determined to stamp their authority on the game. The midfield trio worked tirelessly to win possession and launch attacks, while their forward players constantly stretched the Newbridge rearguard.
The hosts almost made the perfect start after only four minutes. Conor Kilgannon won possession in midfield and immediately released Ed O’Dwyer with a clever first-time pass. O’Dwyer raced into a promising position and struck a powerful effort on goal, but Newbridge goalkeeper Mark O’Connor reacted brilliantly to make an important save.
Villa’s early pressure paid off just four minutes later. Adam Conway launched a long throw into the danger area where Tony Ebhonuaye rose highest at the near post to flick the ball on. Kilgannon had anticipated the delivery perfectly and arrived right on cue to smash an unstoppable finish into the roof of the net for a deserved opener.
Newbridge attempted to respond but found themselves repeatedly pinned back by Villa’s pressing game. Whenever the visitors threatened to build momentum, the home side quickly regained possession and launched another wave of attacks.
On 24 minutes Villa came close to doubling their lead through another excellent move. Whittle split the Newbridge defence with a perfectly weighted pass into the path of O’Dwyer, who had timed his run superbly. The striker looked destined to score after beating the offside trap, but defender Seamus Brown produced a magnificent recovery tackle to deny him at the crucial moment.
The second goal eventually arrived on 36 minutes and it was richly deserved. Calum Flynn showcased his pace and skill down the right wing, driving past his marker before delivering a precise pass into the penalty area. Whittle had found space between the Newbridge defenders and calmly swept the ball beyond O’Connor to make it 2-0.
Villa continued to look dangerous for the remainder of the half and went into the interval firmly in control. While Newbridge battled hard, they struggled to create meaningful opportunities and knew they needed a significant improvement after the restart.
Any hopes of a comeback were quickly extinguished four minutes into the second half.
Conway again played a key role, bursting forward on the overlap before producing an inch-perfect cross into the penalty area. O’Dwyer made an intelligent run across his marker and guided a superb glancing header into the far corner. The finish left O’Connor with no chance and effectively put the contest beyond the visitors.
To their credit, Newbridge refused to surrender and briefly enjoyed their most productive spell midway through the second period. Noah Byrne found space in a crowded penalty area and managed to get a shot away, only for Villa goalkeeper Fabian Kerton to produce a smart save. Shortly afterwards, following a Ruairi Brown corner kick, substitute Darragh Bolton fired over the crossbar from a promising position.
Had either opportunity found the net it may have given Newbridge renewed hope, but Villa’s defence remained organised and composed throughout.
The fourth goal arrived in spectacular fashion on 90 minutes. Substitute James Kennedy picked up possession ten yards inside his own half and immediately noticed goalkeeper Mark O’Connor positioned well off his line. Without hesitation Kennedy unleashed a remarkable long-range effort which sailed over the retreating goalkeeper before nestling in the net, drawing a huge roar from the home supporters.
There was still time for Conor Whittle to add his second, and Villa’s fifth, as they rounded off a win that sees them take control of Group 3.
Newbridge will look to put this heavy defeat behind them when they host Cork side UCC at Station Road next Saturday.
Fabian Kerton; Adam Conway (James Kennedy 69), Tony Ebhonuaye, John Tamen (Killian Griffin 62), Conor Kilgannon (Aaron O’Connor 69), Conor Whittle, Shane O’Sullivan, Cian Browne, Ed O’Dwyer (Regex Madika 69), Calum Flynn (Dylan Stickel 75), Anderson Sipho Dube.
Mark O’Connor; Finn Cowper Gray, Seamus Brown, Eric Munongo, Nathan McCauley, Moses Alabi (Conan Kruger 67), Noah Byrne, Ruairi Brown, Alex Akinrintoyo (Darragh Bolton 46), Shane O’Keeffe (Isaiah Phillips 46), Troy O’Dowd.
Allan Martin (Cork).
