( 1 ) ( 1 )
Stewart
Shone

A very tight game, which matches between these two sides tend tobe.

The visitors worked hard, but in the end Villa just about deserved the points.

The home side started well, with only three minutes played Damien Stewart almost broke through, only to have the ball nicked away at the last minute, within a minute Rhys Crombie picked the ball up on the edge of the area, but his shot was saved by the keeper. Villa were rocked after ten minutes when a long ball over the top, caught out the home defence, allowing a Thornton forward to run through and score.

It was still a very even game, with chances for both sides. Thornton came close again on fifteen minutes when Shaun Gibbs had to tip over a fierce cross shot. Then it was Villa's turn, Guy Clarkson and Michael Thompson combined to create an opening for Sam Shone, but his low shot was just wide.
Four minutes later Villa were level, Damien Stewart cleverly beat the offside trap to score with a low shot.

For the remainder of the half it was Villa who were in the ascendancy, Guy Clarkson had a shot saved from a Damien Stewart cross, and Michael Thompson following up curled a shot wide. Then Danny Brown and Michael Thompson combined well, with the former shooting across the face of goal. In the final minutes of the half the teams cancelled each other out, and there was very little goalmouth action.

Villa tried to up their game at the start of the second half, but for the first fifteen minutes the game was stalemate. On the hour the home side came close, John Winstanley started the move, releasing Damien Stewart, his shot was saved, then following up Guy Clarkson hit the crossbar. This lifted the home side and moments later they took the lead. Craig Chambers played through John Winstanley, who released Damien Stewart who in turn was able to find Sam Shone, whose low flick found the bottom corner of the net.

The visitors tried to respond, forcing a corner, from the kick Shaun Gibbs had to save a header on the line. Two minutes later he was called into action again, this time tipping a header around the post, following a corner. This was the visitors best spell of the game, but Villa weathered the storm and could have wrapped the game up on seventy minutes when Damien Stewart forced the keeper to save at the foot of the post.

The remaining period of the game reverted to the final minutes of the first half with very little action to speak of, not a classic, but a hard won three points which keeps Villa moving in the right direction.

Team - Gibbs, C.Chambers, O'Loughlin, Brown, Winstanley, Thompson, ( Currie ) Crombie, Parkin, Shone, Clarkson, ( Jakiemczuk ) Stewart.