North Village 2

Somerset Eagles 0

Goals either side of the interval from Takeyhi Walker and Pierre Smith sent North Village Rams through to the FA Cup quarter-finals at Bernard Park yesterday.

The home side enjoyed swathes of possession and created plenty of chances to come away with a wider margin of victory but in the end had to be content with the eventual outcome that they thoroughly deserved.

Despite falling behind to an early goal, Eagles did not lose their shape nor panic and with better finishing in the attacking third things might have turned out entirely different for them.

That the visiting side restricted Village to two goals also owed much to some good defending and timely saves made by Lorenzo Lambert, the Eagles goalkeeper, to keep his team in game.

Eagles were slow shifting through the gears and before they could muster a shot on target found themselves chasing the game when Walker finished with aplomb.

The Village winger controlled Jahron Dickinson’s cross in the middle and held off a strong challenge before driving in a low shot from an angle that gave Lambert no chance.

After tightening themselves up at the back and in midfield, Eagles pressed and nearly equalised when forwards Anwar Telford and Rodrae Wilson had efforts from inside the six-yard box blocked. By now the game had opened up and Village were unlucky not to have stretched their advantage just before the half when Dickinson had an angled shot saved and Smith a goalbound lob cleared off the line by Jumaane Davis, the Eagles defender. But there would be no denying the home side early in the second half as Smith doubled his team’s lead with a brilliant finish.

Jonathan Briers, the Village midfielder, started the move, playing the ball out wide to Dickinson whose short pass to Smith was smashed past Lambert from the edge of the box.

Village were now firmly in control, but poor finishing and turnovers allowed Eagles to hang around.

Lambert dashed off his line to thwart Dickinson and then saved Tyrell Burgess’s glancing header from Walker’s corner kick.

Eagles tormented Village with the long ball and always threatened on the counter attack, but lacked the necessary cutting edge to breach the home side’s defence that held firm to the end.

Village’s victory did not come without a cost, however, as Patriac Castle, the full back, limped off hurt after a challenge with Wilson.