Football
Villa triumph in season finale

FAIRFIELD Villa brought the curtain down on their Midland Combination Division One season with a 3-1 victory at Feckenham last Friday.

The league season has been a disappointing one overall for Paul Oakes’ men with them having to settle for a 13th placed finish, but a run of just one defeat in their final seven league games gives cause for optimism for next season.

“It has been a disappointing season really, I would have liked to finish higher in the table and some of our performances have not been good enough at times,” Oakes said.

“But now is the time we need to get to work and do something about it for next season.

“We’ve finished the season well with the sort of form I would expect from us so hopefully that gives us a good platform to go on and build for next season.”

Villa have held the upper hand over Feckenham all season, winning all four meetings between the sides.

Dean Beagan, making his final appearance for Villa, made it 1-0 in the first half but the hosts levelled before the break when Stuart Hall netted from the penalty spot.

Ryan Sproston’s 26th goal of the campaign made it 2-1 in the second half and Craig Cosgrove completed the scoring direct from a corner to secure all three points.

“We defended well against a very strong wind in the first half before really going on to dominate after the break,” Oakes said.

“It was a deserved victory but I appreciate they had an awful lot of players missing through unavailability.

“It seems to be an ever growing problem at the moment and it makes it hard as a manager when trying to build but it is something we all have to deal with.

“One thing we hope to have in our favour at Fairfield is not just being a good side, but also the impressive facilities we can offer players as well.”

Whilst the league campaign may not have gone as planned, Villa have produced some impressive cup performances, reaching the final of the Worcestershire Junior Cup and the semi-final of the President’s Cup.

“There have been positives to take from the year despite it not being out best ever,” Oakes added.

“We’ve played some good football in the cups and the goals of Ryan Sproston have been a major plus for us.

“In fact, the development of a number of youngsters at the club, including Jak Allbut and Chris Pratt, has been excellent for us and gives us something to work with for next season.”

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