Dandy Town 2North Village 1Dandy Town breathed fresh life into their Premier Division title defence with their third victory over North Village this season.Yesterday's win at St. John's Field leaves Hornets just four points behind league leaders Village who have failed to beat Hornets in four attempts so far this term.Hornets took the lead early in the first half through Raymond Beach who twisted and turned inside the box before stroking the ball past Village goalkeeper Jason Williams.It was Beach's fifth goal in his last four outings against Village.The visitors appeared to have levelled a few minutes later when Tyrell Burgess bundled the ball in but the referee's assistant adjudged that the winger was offside.Hornets keeper Daniel Johnson had initially pulled off a terrific save to deny Taurean Manders from point-blank range with Burgess then heading the follow up against the bar before forcing the ball over the line.Village's frustration at not being awarded the equaliser then turned to despair when Kevin Hurdle smashed home a powerful free-kick to give Hornets a two-goal cushion.Shaun Goater's men showed plenty of character though to hit back almost immediately when Manders' right-wing cross found Burgess in the box who made no mistake with a first-time shot past Johnson.With around 20 minutes of the match still remaining Villlage threw bodies forward in search of an equaliser and it almost came when skipper Sammy DeGraff struck a shot from distance which cannoned off the crossbar before bouncing to safety. Defeat would have all but ended Hornets' hopes of a second successive league title but following yesterday's victory their coach Jomar Wilkinson believes they can overhaul Village before the end of the campaign.“Village are in the driving seat but these three points were important and now they will be looking over their shoulders a little,” he said. “We showed plenty of character and went out there and got the job done. I'm very proud of my players today. I thought we started off slowly but really picked things up in the second half.”Village had arguably shaded the first period and had the better of the scoring chances with DeGraff going close with a volley from the edge of the area which was tipped over by Johnson, while Burgess sent a near post header wide from a corner. At the other end Village defender Devrae Tankard cleared Fabian Frankson's effort off the line following a mazy dribble by the Town full back.North Village: J Williams, T Manders, D Tankard, S Fubler, K Dill, J Boyles (R Robinson, 78), S DeGraff, T Watson, T Burgess, R Bean, P Smith (V Tankard, 70)Substitutes not used: L Alexander, J SousaYellow card: SmithGoals: Burgess, 70Dandy Town: D Johnson, G Dyer, K Tucker, Tymon Daniels, F Frankson, J Peniston, S Darrel (R Wells, 88), D Ming, K Hurdle (T Daniels, 76), H Wolfe (L. Dill, 82), R BeachSubstitutes not used: W Place, D Chambers, R SaltusGoals: Beach, 60, Hurdle, 68Referee: A MouchetteMan of the match: D. Ming (Hornets)n Former Dandy Town striker Nahki Wells made his professional debut in Carlisle United's 4-0 thrashing of Bristol Rovers at Brunton Park on Saturday. The 19-year-old, who signed a five-month contract at United on New Year's Day, came on as a substitute after 84 minutes, replacing Ben Marshall.