Architects of one’s own downfall!  Villa’s see-saw season swung visibly back to the vortex at Vickerstown. They pretty much battered their hosts for most of the first half and grabbed a deserved lead through George Craddock, however despite their superiority, the home keeper otherwise didn’t really have a serious save to make. The visitors strolled out for the second half, and unfortunately it took fully twenty minutes for said stroll to break into a canter, by which time the scores were level.  In a desperate bid to make amends, Villa committed ever more men forward, and with manager Mark McDonnell tearing what’s left of his hair out, the enormous void that should have been the defence was again breached deep into stoppage time, and the indignation at the prospect of leaving with just a point turned to despair with the realisation that in fact the long journey home would be empty handed. 

It all started well for the visitors, and looking like they were well up for it, they had their hosts on the back foot from the outset. It took less than ten minutes for Craddock to plant the ball in the Vickerstown net, but clearly from an off-side starting position. Less than five minutes later however, he was suitably rewarded for his endeavours. Matt Atherton picked up the ball on the left wing, rode a scything tackle, cut inside and drove goalwards from the corner of the box. His effort was blocked, but Craddock reacted quickest to the rebound and fired his side into an early lead.

 As already stated, the first half belonged to Villa, but apart from a burst of activity mid way through when Pavel Zverina, and Craddock and Atherton again almost worked respective openings, in fact neither keeper had cause to reach for the towel to wipe away any sweat. Villa’s only real scare was when Darren Davies bullited a header against his own post from a Vickerstown corner. The look on Ross Baxter’s face was priceless!. Neutrals on the touchline were heard to observe that the visitors might come to rue their missed opportunities.

 Inexplicably, Villa failed to trap in the second half, and suddenly looked ragged and ponderous. Within five minutes they found themselves on level terms, when a Davies clearance struck a passive body and fell kindly at the feet of Bruce, presenting him with the easiest of chances to square the match.

Just a minute later, Atherton nearly restored his side’s advantage when a Gavin Cooper free kick from half way found him in the clear, but his shot was always rising, though it required a keeper’s fingertip to ensure it cleared the bar.

Villa eventually got going, and once again gained the upper hand territorially, but the home defence dealt comfortably with everything that came their way, with skipper Brennan in particular displaying a virtuoso performance in the reading of the game.

Villa were forced to play out the last ten minutes minus a man, when, with all three substitutes used, John Salisbury had to be carried from the pitch. But clearly frustrated and feeling themselves hard done by, the visitors pushed ever more men forward in search of the winner as the game moved into the closing stages. Deep into stoppage time, in their efforts going forward, Villa gave the ball away twice in quick succession, and suddenly substitute Swarbrick found himself in the clear with just Baxter to beat, and you have to say, he didn’t half finish it well!

There for the winning and nobody but themselves to blame, but at the risk of lapsing into cliché, that, as they say is football!

Villa line-up: Baxter, Salisbury, Davies, L.Chambers, Bolton, Cooper, Kirkpatrick (Clitheroe 68), Dunn (Heald 55), Atherton, Zverina, Craddock (C.Chambers 76).