Birr Town push table toppers all the way

Mullingar Town 1 Birr Town 0

Birr Town made CCFL Senior Division title contenders Mullingar Town work hard for their 1-0 win at D'Alton Park last Sunday.

The victory over second from bottom Birr took Mullingar to the top of the Senior Division table.

Mullingar dominated possession for large periods of this contest, but it looked like it was going to be one of those frustrating days for them especially after Jason Charles missed a penalty in the first half.

The visitors also went close to scoring on several occasions, and arguably should have had a penalty when Hubert Zakrzewski was brought down.

To win leagues, sometimes you have to grind out victories and that's precisely what Mullingar did here, with a second-half goal from Sam Watkins proving the clincher to put them top with just a handful of games left to play.

The home side had the better of the early proceedings on a windy day in Mullingar. A mazy run from Paul Reid nearly created an opening for Tristan Finnane, before Daragh Kiernan swung in a free kick that caused havoc in the Birr box before being cleared.

The men in red and black were having the majority of the ball but not creating anything clear-cut, with Birr Town looking dangerous on the break.

Birr substitute David Tooher fired a long-distance attempt over before they missed a guilt-edged opportunity. Tooher set up Hubert Zakrzewski and, with the goal gaping, he somehow put the ball wide.

John Bergin’s charges continued to look the more likely to make the breakthrough, Johnny Corboy crossing to the lively Tooher, whose brilliant first-time volley went just over.

Mullingar had a great opportunity to take the lead on the half hour mark. Smart build-up play from Tristan Finnane and Shane O'Keefe presented Sam Watkins with the ball in the box and he was adjudged to have been fouled for a penalty. Mullingar captain Jason Charles stood up to take, but uncharacteristically his shot was saved and the teams remained deadlocked.

Both teams traded chances just before half-time. Birr's Hubert Zakrzewski rattled the crossbar with a fantastic shot outside the box, with Mullingar's Jason Charles going close with a back-post header, from a Shane O'Keefe corner.

Mullingar had another let-off early in the second period. Birr's Zakrzewski raced through on goal before Enda Morris made a last-ditch tackle in the penalty area, but didn't appear to get any of the ball. Referee Dean Stenson waved away strong Birr claims for a penalty.

Despite riding their luck, Town continued to have the majority of possession in the second half and were camped in Birr territory looking for the opening goal. Goal-scoring chances just weren't materialising, however, but with 20 minutes left to play, they went agonisingly close. Daragh Kiernan's corner found Enda Morris and his header clipped the crossbar and went over, much to the frustration of the home support.

It looked like it could be one of these days for Town, potentially dropping vital points in the title run-in, but if you want to win titles, you have to grind it out. That's exactly what they did, as with 15 minutes left to play, substitute Enda Matthews' cross was deflected into the path of striker Watkins and he showed composure to give Town the vital first goal.

From the Birr kick-off, Town amazingly nearly went two up, Tristan Finnane showing his pace, before assisting Watkins once more, this time his effort went over the bar.

Mullingar had been the much better team in the second period, and other than that strong Birr penalty claim, the Town rearguard had restricted the away side to very little.

The Offaly side did have one last chance for an equaliser, however. Jamie Corboy found himself in space on the edge of the Mullingar penalty area and he fired a shot for goal, but his effort was excellently saved by Adrian Rapacki in the Town goal to keep his clean sheet intact and give Town the precious three points.

Mullingar Town: Adrian Rapacki, Jamie Loran, David Mimnagh, Paul Reid, Jason Charles, Enda Morris, Tristan Finnane, David Dyer, Sam Watkins, Shane O'Keefe, Daragh Kiernan. Sub used: Enda Matthews for Paul Reid (72 mins).

Birr Town: Nathan Williams, Conor Hanamy, Cealim King, Max Boyd, Campbell Boyd, Nicky Molly, Ricky Hanlon, Padraig Watkins, Hubert Zakrzewski, Jamie Corboy, Johnny Corboy. Sub used: David Tooher for Nathan Williams (18 mins).

Referee: Dean Stenson.