Parkvilla take the points with stylish display

The elusive first win of the Leinster Senior League Div 1A season arrived for Parkvilla and their new manager Brendan Kennedy at Claremont Stadium on Friday night where Whitehall Rangers were clinically put to the sword. This wasn't easy, but the performance was encouraging and with five points on the board from the opening four games, a win and two draws, the pressure is now on to sustain the upward momentum and launch a serious bid for promotion next April. That momentum can take a break next Friday night as the Navan side will tackle Kilnamanagh in the first round of the Moore Cup, 7.45. Local soccer enthusiasts should take the opportunity to make their first visit of the season to Claremont, admission is free, to both support and assess the potential of this team. They are not the finished article just yet, but the raw material is there in abundance and if the manager can keep the players focused, improve concentration levels and tighten up discipline, then an overdue wait for a trophy could be over. Friday night's game featured a tight first-half against a fairly limited Whitehall side who are also in the process of fine-tuning their resources. Parkvilla picked up the pace after a tentative opening during which home 'keeper Sean Gorman saved from Whitehall new boy Daryl Geraghty who showed the meaner side of his game when he left stud marks on Kevin Dunphy's leg in a very subtle way which no one who mattered noticed. Dunphy exacted retribution soon after, but wasn't as subtle and was yellow-carded by local referee Conor Byrne who had a good game. Whitehall also had a goal ruled out during that period and lost left-full Gary Malone to a 34th minute injury. By that stage Parkvilla had wrestled the initiative with Dunphy, Dave O'Neill and Alan Kerr all testing Whitehall custodian David Connolly who was solid throughout. However, the overdue breakthrough arrived a minute into first-half injury-time when Kerr finished well after O'Neill knocked the ball back at the far post. Whitehall retreated for most of the second-half with only Geraghty and Paul Yardley threatening sporadically while the hosts raided down both wings. Andy Williamson was particularly effective going forward and as the game progressed Colin Lynch made more of an impact as Davy Hosie pulled the strings at midfield. Jamie Blake had what looked like a genuine penalty appeal waved away on the hour, but midway through the second-half O'Neill added the second goal. Williamson played the ball down the wing, Blake provided the cross and O'Neill finished. That broke Whitehall's resistance and Parkvilla piled on the pressure. Lynch, Blake, O'Neill and substitute Gary Reilly all went close before another substitute, Ciaran Rogers, grabbed a third goal. Parkvilla conceded a needless free near the end and were punished when David Cox pulled one back for Whitehall. On this occasion Parkvilla had enough in the bank to make a clean getaway, but it was sloppy defending that gave the Dubliners the chance in the first instance. Parkvilla - S Gorman; I Brazil, A Williamson, C Kennedy, A Rogers, D Hosie, A Kerr, C Lynch, J Blake, K Dunphy, D O'Neill. Subs - G Reilly for Kerr 67 mins; C Rogers for O'Neill 82m; W Russell for Hosie 85m. Whitehall Rangers - D Connolly; C McNally, G Malone, K Darcy, D Darcy, S Mullan, P Yardley, D Brennan, D Geraghty, B O'Shea, D Cox. Subs - N Murphy for Malone 34 mins; T Murphy for Mullen 62m. Officials - Conor Byrne, Michael Bryan, Camillus Perry (Meath)