Devonshire Cougars 0

Hamilton Parish 0

Missed chances by both teams was the story of last night’s Premier Division match at Devonshire Recreation Club, but Kieshon Smith, the Hamilton Parish coach, is happy with the point.

“You can’t really complain about a point on the road,” said Smith, who welcomed his team’s first point of the season.

“Coming to the Den is not an easy game to win, and after nothing last weekend [against Village] these are small steps. Our eyes are open.”

Nigel Burgess made a crucial last-minute block to stop substitute Domico Coddington’s run towards goal and keep a clean sheet for Parish, who, like Cougars, were wasteful on the night, and are still looking for their first goal in the league.

The best chance for Parish came in the 56th minute when captain Shayne Hollis, their most threatening player, rode two tackles 30 yards from goal before testing goalkeeper Kioshi Trott with a low shot that Trott allowed to slip out of his clutches.

Donovan Thompson was quick to pounce, but put a weak shot straight at the goalkeeper from just six yards.

Derrick Brangman almost made Parish pay immediately, as he went close seconds later when he held off a defender on the left side of the box before driving his low effort past the far post.

Brangman’s strike partner, Jahkee Smith, also wasted a good chance midway through the first half when Brangman set him up with a cross from the left, but Smith shot straight at Burgess from point-blank range. At the other end, Hollis stretched to meet a cross from the left before lifting his effort over the crossbar. Smith then went close again when Ijahmon Mallory was dispossessed by Machi Battersbee, who laid on a good chance.

The alert Darius Cox almost found the net from the halfway line late in the first half when he spotted Burgess well off his line as he took a free kick.

The drive towards goal had Burgess scrambling back into his six-yard box before the effort just cleared the crossbar.

Cougars started the second half more promising, but they could not find the finishing touch in front of goal despite good approach work from Moses Steede and Drewonde Bascome, continued to work hard in midfield to create openings.

Both teams made substitutions in the second half, with Coddington replacing Brangman and Shaki Pearman coming on for Smith after he missed two chances in quick succession.