Enniskillen Town 3 Killen Rangers 1

Enniskillen Town maintained their perfect start to the season with a 3-1 victory over Killen Rangers.

A goal for either side from Cathal Beacom and Gary McGuigan left the game finely balanced at halftime, but Town found the net twice in the last ten minutes with Beacom adding his second from the penalty spot and player-manager Ryan Hanna netting his first goal since his return to the club to seal the three points.

“It was good to get the win,” admitted Hanna.

“We had most of the possession but in fairness to Killen, they pressed us well and forced us into errors without them creating anything massive.

"In the first 5 or 10 minutes of the second half, I thought we weren’t great, but that was probably down to Killen who worked really hard.

"After that, we bossed the game and chances started to come, and once we got the second I thought we would kick on, and thankfully we did. The last ten minutes was when we were at our most clinical.”

The win keeps Town at the top of the table, but Hanna believes they will have to improve if they are to maintain their challenge.

“Our performance was patchy but if you can win 3-1 and play nowhere near the level we can be at, then you have to be happy,” he said.  

“You want your performances as well, but you take your wins over your performances all day long.

"We are going to play better across the 90 minutes, and we know that, but you come away with the win and you still have a lot of learnings out of it as well so it is a  double positive.

"Next week it is another tough game against Irvinestown, who have started okay.

"There are no easy games and you have to take them at their own merit and  that is what we will be doing.”

Town made a positive start to the match and edged ahead after 15 minutes when Jordan Breen teed up Cathal Beacom, and the midfielder drove a low shot from 25 yards into the bottom corner of the net.

Town could have added to their early goal during a first half in which they created numerous chances.

James Harrigan just missed the target with a lob over goalkeeper Trevor Morrison, Jordan Breen fired in a shot from an angle and Hanna hit the crossbar, but it was Killen who scored the equaliser after half an hour.  

The away team broke down the right and Thomas Owens failed to clear the cross, with Gary McGuigan pouncing on the ball to fire past Ben Thompson.

The game remained in the balance for much of the second half, but with ten minutes remaining Town eventually made the points safe.

A cross-field pass from Beacom found  Harrigan who cut inside the full-back before being brought down inside the penalty area, with Beacom dispatching the spot kick.

Hanna sealed the points in the dying minutes of the game, firing into the corner of the net from 15 yards.