Fort Wayne FC ground out a 1-0 victory at Union Omaha on Saturday, with Taig Healy's first-half strike proving the difference in a bad-tempered USL League One contest.

Healy broke the deadlock in the 25th minute, finishing off a feed from Clarence Awoudor to put the visitors ahead. It was the only goal Fort Wayne would need, but earning the three points was far from comfortable.

The second half turned into a war of attrition. Fort Wayne's Logan Neidlinger was booked three minutes after the restart, and the cards kept coming. Union Omaha's Samuel Owusu was cautioned in the 56th minute, with Fort Wayne's Aleksandar Vukovic following him into the book just two minutes later. Vukovic picked up a second yellow in the 70th minute — a reckless piece of discipline that left his side shorthanded for the final 20 minutes. Javier Armas joined him in the referee's notebook seven minutes later as Fort Wayne dug in.

Union Omaha pushed for an equalizer against the depleted visitors but couldn't find a way through. The frustration boiled over late, with bookings for Gabriel de Freitas and Fort Wayne's Bernd Schipmann deep into stoppage time as the match limped to its conclusion.

Seven yellow cards across the 90 minutes told the story of a fractious affair, but Fort Wayne will care little about the aesthetics. The away win hands them valuable points on the road and could prove significant as the USL League One season enters its decisive final stretch.