NAFL 1B
Killyleagh YC 4 Woodvale 3
KILLYLEAGH YC opened the new season with victory in a seven-goal thriller at The Showgrounds on Saturday.
Woodvale arrived as Amateur League Division 1C champions, unbeaten in their last 12 league games and hoping to make an immediate impact in Division 1B.
However, it was Killyleagh who got off to a dream start. Kodi Carson opened the scoring after just three minutes with a goal which was sure to impress his uncle, Trevor Carson, the former Northern Ireland international goalkeeper, who was among the big crowd watching.
Just as quickly, Woodvale were on level terms, with Blake Watters equalising after just eight minutes.
YC manager Stevie Lindsay has brought in some experienced players to augment what was the youngest YC team for 20 years that fell short last season and three of those new signings impressed throughout with Sam Dinu, Declan McComiskey and Jack Sharvin at the heart of much of Killyleagh’s best play.
Full back Nathan Hamilton headed Killyleagh back into a well-deserved lead in the 15th minute.
When Woodvale’s McFarland made it 2-2 after 36 minutes and it looked as if Killyleagh would go into the break on level terms despite dominating possession and producing some neat play, particularly the link up between Kodi Carson and Jack Sharvin.
Sam Carson was denied what looked to be a certain goal from a Sharvin corner when his header was brilliantly tipped away by Winstone.
The YC got their noses in front for a third time just before the interval when Cameron Howard charged down goalkeeper Winstone’s attempted clearance and then arrowed it home from a tight angle.
After the interval Killyleagh maintained their momentum, with Sam Kirk increasingly influential in midfield and Dinu dictating the pace of the game.
Kodi Carson was played in by Sharvin as his pace once again left the Belfast visitors in knots, and then they had penalty appeals for a handling offence in the penalty box waved away.
Woodvale went straight up the field and for a third time they pulled level.
Daniel Ellis scored direct from a free kick on the edge of the box which left questions over the positioning of the Killyleagh defensive wall in the 55th minute.
Killyleagh refused to bow and as the game progressed, they got stronger.
Sharvin was denied by a goal line clearance and Kodi Carson went close after good work from Nathan Leckey. They were not to be denied and when Leckey’s shot was cleared on the goalline, he quickly rifled home at the second attempt to make it 4-3 to Killyleagh in the 72nd minute.
Woodvale seemed to implode after this and they had two players red carded in the space of three minutes to end the final ten minutes with nine men.
After conceding the lead three times, there was still a nervous six minutes of added time for Killyleagh manager Lindsay to endure and while he will be pleased with his team’s ability in attack, he will be looking to shore up the defensive frailties on show in this opening game.
