In what turned out to be a disappointing afternoon from a spectators’ point of view. Garstang were able to leave with all three points without really getting out of second gear, and in truth without really creating anything threatening in front of goal. The two that mattered were soft in the extreme and should have been dealt with in a routine manner, but after a very bright start, Villa themselves offered little after the visitor’s fortuitous opener burst the bubble.

Villa hit the ground running and caught the visitors a bit flat footed at the back. Inside two minutes Ryan Lilley had a good shooting chance when Danial Hogg played him in with a deft head flick, but he snatched at the shot and it flew harmlessly wide. Less than a minute later, Hogg was again provider, this time with a pacy run and cut back to where Matt Conway had broken into the box, but his attempt to get on the end of it was well defended. Five minutes later, Hogg was at it again, winning a ball he had no real right to he again fed Lilley, but his attempt at curling the ball into the corner again drifted wide.

Ten minutes gone and it had been all Villa, but with their first venture into the Villa box, one would hesitate to use the term ‘attack’, a fairly tame shot from Richard Wilson squirmed through Dave Bibbys grasp and stuttered agonisingly in off the post. (I could have sworn I heard him say ‘I don’t believe it!’).

Having begun with purpose, the hammer blow visably deflated the home side, and a match that had promised much in the opening few minutes deteriorated as a spectacle, with Villa looking devoid of ideas as to how to break down the now composed defence, and Garstang content to soak up such pressure as there was without really breaking into a sweat.  Devastated by injury, Vila’s case was further damaged when midfied stalwart Stuart Bingham limped off with a season ending injury after just twenty minutes. Matt Plano fell victim to a dead leg as the first half drew to a close, and although he tried gamely to play on, was forced to give way with the second half just a minute old.

Mark Kippax came off the bench and clinched victory with another soft goal in the thirty fourth minute, but in spite of the scoreline, the Villa defence actually played very well once again, but too many enforced changes in midfield disrupted the rhythm, and after the initial encouraging flurry, keeper Armstrong was never seriously troubled. 

Villa Line-Up: David Bibby, James O’Loughlin , Darren Davies, Lee Chambers, Sam Bolton, Matt Plano (Mark Swift), Matt Conway, Stuart Bingham (PhilWoodman 20) David Warburton, Danial Hogg, Ryan Lilley.