North Village 1

Devonshire Cougars 0

The FA Cup will take up a new residence this year after holders Devonshire Cougars were dethroned at Wellington Oval yesterday.

In a match neither team were able to grasp by the scruff of the neck, North Village Rams did just enough to get across the line, with Jahron Dickinson’s eleventh-minute strike proving to be the winner.

Cougars had plenty of chances to cancel out Dickinson’s goal with Drewonde Bascome, the midfielder, coming closest with a curling free kick that hit the crossbar.

But, in the end, it was not to be Cougars’ day and they were left to rue what might have been with better execution in the attacking third.

With so much at stake, Ralph Bean Jr, the Rams coach, was delighted to see his team get the better of their nearby rivals.

“I anticipated that it would be a close game and was always going to be a mental battle,” he said. “We have been struggling against Cougars for probably the past season and a half, but today I thought we were tougher mentally and had more desire to win.”

Bean also praised his team’s resilience to protect their slim lead, particularly in the second half after Cougars cranked it up a notch or two in search of an equaliser.

“Resilient is a word we have been using a lot and you have to have to be resilient even when things are not going your way,” he said.

“Teams are going to have their chances and get on top of the game at times. But you just have to be resilient, and we were.”

Dennis Brown, the Cougars coach, took defeat in stride. “Territorially, they had the game in the first half, so we made some adjustments in the second half and I thought we did well but were unfortunate on a couple of occasions,” he said. “But that is how it goes sometimes.”

A glaring miss moments before the final whistle by substitute Demetri Daniels best summoned up Cougars’ day. Daniels blasted high and wide from yards out to deprive his team of a last-gasp equaliser that would have sent the tie into extra time.

“He is a young player and he will learn from that and choose better technique next time,” Brown added. “That is how it goes sometimes and you live and learn.”

Cougars applied early pressure but were rocked back on their heels after Dickinson flicked Dill’s cross past Trott, the Cougars goalkeeper, to apply the finishing touch to a counter attacking move down the right side.

The goal, which arrived somewhat against the run of play, seemed to jolt further life into Cougars, who were awarded a free kick just outside of the penalty box after Tyrell Burgess, the Rams centre back, tripped Bascome.

After sizing up the wall, Bascome got it up and over but his free kick crashed on to the bar with Troy Hall Jr, the Rams goalkeeper, a mere spectator. Bascome also sliced a shot from an angle over the bar just moments before the end of a first half in which Rams held a marginal edge over their opponents.

The match continued in the same vein in the second half, with both teams showing good ball movement only to be let down in the attacking third by poor finishing.

Dickinson and substitute Keishen Bean went close for Rams, while Bascome kept probing at the other end.

Bean missed a glorious opportunity to kill the game off after failing to execute on a breakaway. This allowed Cougars to remain in the match and they nearly added parity to the scoreline at the death when Daniels was allowed too much time and space in the box.

Fortunately for Rams, though, the young forward went for power rather than placement and the chance went begging.

Rams, who last lifted the FA Cup during the 2005-06 campaign, will face Dandy Town in the final at the National Sports Centre on April 6.