Whites earn their first league win of the season

Lisburn Distillery 1

Lisburn Distillery secured their first league win of the season with a battling performance at Armagh City on Saturday.

Distillery were eager to get their first win and started the brighter of the two sides.

Inside four minutes Martin Jones made a fine jinking run down the right before squaring the ball to Sean Southam but the striker miscued his effort from four yards out hitting the ball wide of goal.

In all truth it was the Whites who were dominating in the early stages especially in midfield with Niall Devine looking solid, a really good piece of business by Kincaid to bring him to New Grosvenor.

The game was being played at a frantic pace but with chances at a minimum, this was until thirty two minutes as a Jordan Morrison freekick nearly found the head of Southam but he was denied by a fine piece of goalkeeping from John Connolly. Armagh, who beat Distillery 3-1 in this fixture last season, started to settle down after this and pressure the visitors winning freekick after freekick.

Tommy Kincaid made his first change at the interval bringing off Sean Southam replacing him with Michael Fegan and it was Distillery who had the first chance in the second half as Mikey Withers ran through on goal, he chipped the ball over the advancing Connolly before being brought down inside the area by the home ‘keeper, the referee having no choice but to award a penalty.

Connolly received his marching orders for the offence, but it did look like a harsh decision as it only looked like a yellow card offence.

With no substitute goalkeeper on the bench it was Sean Mallon who went in between the sticks.

Denver Taggart took full responsibility to take the penalty, his initial effort saved by Mallon, however, the midfielder responded superbly as the ball rebounded to him and he made no mistake sweeping the ball into the net.

Kincaid made a change of formation as he brought on Artur Kopyt, another holding midfielder bringing off Jones who seemed to be struggling with injury, unfortunately the change in defensive formation wasn’t to last long as Distillery were also reduced to ten men as Ciaran Burns made a silly tackle on Stefen Lavery to be shown his second yellow card.

Ten a side then, but this didn’t seem to put Distillery off their stride as Mikey Withers, who was frightening the home sides defence with his electrifying pace, nearly scored a goal of the season contender as he left Marty Haveron for dead before hitting a volley from an acute angle sweet as a nut the ball flashing narrowly wide across the face of goal.

As the match drew to a close City could have snatched an equaliser when Ryan McBride caught a freekick but then was seemingly barged off the ball which saw the ball fall to the feet of Lavery, on loan from Dungannon Swifts, his shot looked set for the net only for a block on the line by Jordan Morrison who chested the ball away from danger to the relief of the visiting supporters.

After what felt like a lifetime the referee blew the full time whistle, Distillery had won - hopefully something to build on.

LDFC Team v Armagh City: McBride, Ringland, Nixon, Burns, Morrison, Devibe, Derry, Withers, Taggart, Southam, Jones.

Subs: Fegan (for Southam), Kopyt (for Jones), Chapman, Short, McStravick.