Enniskillen Santos hit five goals past Beragh Swifts to move up to fourth place in the league table.

The Enniskillen side went into the game still smarting from a heavy defeat to reigning champions Strathroy Harps, but they looked a different team against Killen as they carved out a 3-0 lead. Despite conceding three late goals their manager Joe Keenan believed 5-3 was the least they deserved. Their boss was critical of the team in their previous game but he had no such complaints this time around.

Indeed, he was delighted with the seven day transformation in his team who were on the front foot from the first whistle and while Killen pulled it back to 3-2, Santos soon reasserted to claim the points.

“It was completely different this weekend. I couldn’t believe the difference. I couldn’t praise them enough. They were the complete opposite to last week,” said Joe. “They had attitude, passion and hunger which was something I hadn’t seen the previous week. That was the worst I had seen in a while but they made me eat my words and this was the best I have seen in a while. We started really well and got in Killen’s faces straight away. They are a good team and it was a six pointer for fourth place and we scored five away from home. I told them at half time that I hadn’t a fault with them. Sometimes in the second half you can get a bit casual but we weren’t. I was really pleased with everybody.”

The manager decided to bring himself into the heart of the defence in a bid to shore up the back four and it was a change that worked, as every player raised their game. Joe is hoping that this most recent performance is a sign of things to come, with Lisbellaw set to provide them with a stiff challenge this coming weekend.

“It was a slightly changed team and I felt Niall Cassidy was the big difference in midfield and Seamus Quigley was outstanding up front,” he said. “It went right through all the players and I was really, really pleased. With Richard being suspended I didn’t have another sweeper and I had to take the chance to play myself and it couldn’t have worked out better. Hopefully we wont be good one week and bad the next. We have another six pointer again this week with Lisbellaw coming to the forum and we have to keep our good form going for that.”

Killen were three points ahead of Santos before kick off, but it was Santos who looked the better side in the early stages of the game. After 15 minutes their early dominance was rewarded with a goal when Seamus Quigley controlled a cross from the left wing on his chest and rifled an early shot into the bottom corner before the keeper could react.

The home team responded well to the set back and Peter Phair pushed one shot around the post and diverted another over the crossbar to maintain the lead. Before half time the away side went further ahead. Christopher Keenan picked the ball up in midfield and beat one player before firing a low shot from 20 yards which nestled in the bottom corner of the net.

Santos produced more of the same at the start of the second half and scored a third from the penalty spot. Quigley received the ball in the penalty area and was brought down before he could get a shot away, with Christopher Keenan making no mistake from 12 yards.

Killen gave themselves a glimmer of hope five minutes later as they pulled one back from eight yards out when Santos failed to deal with a cross but Shane Carty made it 4-2 with a great shot across the keeper and into the top corner.

A goal from a corner pulled one back for Killen but despite their best spell of the match Santos refused to panic and added a fifth when Jason Keenan twisted and turned before finding the corner of the net.

Killen scored with the last kick of the game to give the score line some respectability but Santos deserved the three points that lifts them to fourth.