Parkville United AFC 1 – 2 Hanover Harps AFC.

This game turned out to be a very competitive game played in difficult, blustery conditions, with Hanover started the stronger, with their pace causing great difficulty for Parkville, right throughout the match.

Hanover got an early reward, when Andrew Vint got on the end of a corner – kick, to head home and take a 0-1 lead on five minutes and then they won a series of corners and came close to scoring again, but they were off-target.

Cian Ray then went on a mazy run, which ended when he was brought down in the box and the resultant penalty was converted by Ray Darlington, to make it 0-2.

Parkville saw impressive performances from Callum Murray and Paddy O’Byrne, who were operating on the wings to good effect.

Half time came, with Hanover holding on to their 0-2 lead.

To Parkville’s credit they had the better of the second-half, with Nicky Moore and Oran Kirwan ‘bossing’ the midfield and this paid off after only eight minutes, when Niall Kinsella ‘nicked’ the ball off a Hanover defender and played it into space and followed it and he then shot across the Hanover keeper and into the bottom corner of the net, to make the score 1-2.

Kinsella then forced a good save from the Hanover keeper and at this stage Parkville ‘had their tails up’ and were strongly pressing for an equaliser.

Hanover were still threatening ‘on the break’ with their pace, but Matthew Hyde - Parkville’s keeper, was quick off his line to prevent certain scores.