Euxton Villa 3  Freckleton         16 March 2010

Like last week, another three points safely bagged, but there all similarity ends. By contrast, this was an assured and confident performance from a Villa side playing with organisation and a shape in which everyone seemed to understand their role, and all contributed to an energetic and entertaining team performance. Firing on all cylinders from the off, a three goal lead was quickly established, and although a somewhat fortuitous goal from the visitors precipitated a more evenly contested affair, in truth had Villa’s finishing matched their build-up play, then a proverbial ‘barrow load’ might have been on the cards.

David Heald set the scene with a rasping shot inside two minutes, though it proved too high to trouble the keeper. However the custodian didn’t have long to wait to get his hands on the ball, though unfortunately for the visitors it involved picking it out of the back of his net. Adam McAlister and Gavin Cooper, together the source of much of Villa’s best work in recent weeks, combined down the right with a clever interchange, and the latter picked out Elliot Dunn arriving on the edge of the box, where he met it on the half volley and drilled it into the bottom corner.

With their tails up, the home side had soon doubled their advantage. From a corner on the left, Cooper delivered a testing inswinger, and Ross Dickinson looked to have successfully sneaked in round the back, but his stooping header was miraculously scooped away off the line. From the resultant corner, however, this time from the right, Cooper sent a peach on to the head of Heald, who gave the keeper no chance with a powerful header.  [During the post-match debate, Hoggy tried to claim the final touch, but having canvassed widely, I have been unable to find anyone willing to corroborate.]

Before the first quarter of the match had elapsed, The Euxton side had piled further woe on to their bamboozled opponents. A free kick thirty yards out again afforded Cooper the opportunity to exercise his precision with the dead ball. This time it was Sam Bolton who benefited, heading home after shaking off his marker with a clever in and out run.

Freckleton at this juncture appeared to have little answer to Villas insurgence, but, out of the blue they grabbed themselves an unlikely foothold in the game. Burton sent a long speculative cross-cum-shot from fully forty yards, and such was the trajectory that Ross Baxter, stranded round the penalty spot, could only wave at it as it dipped over his big frame into his empty net.

Suddenly, Freckleton had a lifeline with the attendant belief that it brought, and for the first time Villa looked a little rattled.

However, the interval arrived without further significant incident, and having regrouped, Villa re-established the initiative from the start of the second half. Inside a minute Danial Hogg had a golden opportunity inside a minute, but the keeper did well to foil him twice, blocking both his initial and his follow-up shot. Less than five minutes later the same player was in again, this time put through by a well weighted David Warburton pass, but he dragged his effort wide.

Ryan Lilley came on to augment the fire power, and had a well struck shot parried with virtually his first touch.  Clearly in the ascendancy now, the home side carved out chance after chance. Cooper found himself through on the keeper twice within a five minute spell mid way through the half, but was denied by the keeper and shot wide respectively.  And in the dying minutes, again Cooper had the chance to wrap things up, but again the finish eluded him. There was still time for Lilley to get the home support excited when, with just the keeper to beat, he tried a delicate lob, but a flailing hand clawed away the effort that was missing the target anyway.

Freckleton showed that they have enough about them to get out of trouble, but this was as good a Villa performance as we have seen at the Jim Fowler for some time, and, as previously observed, a little more ruthlessness in front of goal could have seen Villa at least double their tally. Great to have ‘Trig’ back and at his best, and Cooper continues his fine run of form. A rock solid defence again impressed individually and collectively, but all were edged out in the man of the match stakes by an inspiring Elliot Dunn.

Villa Line-Up; Ross Baxter, Adam McAlister, Darren Davies, Ross Dickinson (Lee Chambers 72), Sam Bolton, Matt Plano, David Heald, Elliot Dunn, Gavin Cooper, David Warburton (Ryan Lilley 55), Danial Hogg (Matt Conway 60).