Somerset Trojans 3

Dandy Town 1

In a fiercely contested game that Dandy Town Hornets controlled for large portions, Somerset Trojans’ clinical finishing ultimately made the difference.

Malachi Jones, Leo Burgess and Alton Trott all stung the visiting team were it hurts to bury any thoughts of a Town win.

Throughout the majority of the first half, Hornets were buzzing and dictated play by controlling the tempo of the game. However, they squandered several golden opportunities early in the game to seize control, and that poor finishing allowed Trojans to settle in, wrestle back the game and give their own lessons on how to finish in front of goal.

The home side opened their account after a fine run from Adolphus Lambert down the left saw him round the defender and fire a deft cross into the box. The pass was met by Jones who thumped the ball past Mikkail Crockwell, the Hornet’s goalkeeper, from six yards out.

Jones’s strike seemed to momentarily unsettle Hornets as Trojans added to their tally four minutes later. Tahj Wade, who was creating fits all afternoon for Hornets with his penetrating runs, fired in a free kick from 30 yards.

The ball eluded everyone in the box apart from Burgess who ran in uncontested, and tapped the ball past the stranded Crockwell to put the home side two goals up at half time.

Trojans began to assert themselves after the break, and grabbed a third when Wade received a throw-in deep into Hornets territory, turned his man, and fed a pass into the box that was pounded home by Trott from ten yards.

Town’s bench continued exhorting their players to fight back with plenty of time remaining, and they were rewarded for their hustling moments later when Jahmel Swan squeezed off a shot that found its way through a maze of bodies for the consolation goal and provide a glimmer of hope.

Hornets made regular substitutions trying to provide fresh legs, and in a bid to find a combination that could pull them back into contention. However, with Trojans packing men behind the ball, Hornets ultimately ran out of time as the Trojans rode off with the win.