Devonshire Cougars 3

Hamilton Parish 0

Devonshire Cougars clawed their way off the bottom of the Premier Division with a convincing victory over Hamilton Parish at Devonshire Recreation Club last night.

Jahkee Smith, the midfielder, struck early to give Cougars a 1-0 lead at half-time, and then added a second from the penalty spot with little more than an hour gone.

Kwame Steede, the Cougars player-coach, then killed the game off with less than quarter of an hour remaining with a tap in after Parish failed to clear their lines.

Cougars’ third league win of the season catapulted them from last place to seventh, while Parish replaced their hosts at the foot of the standings.

Cougars were the better team on the night and, as such, were deserving of the spoils from a game neither could afford to lose in terms of relegation.

“This is massive result for us,” Kwame Steede said. “It’s massive because we have been lingering on the bottom holding up everybody for a long period, and tonight’s result jumps us three spots off the bottom and so it’s a good feeling.

“Depending on the other results we are in a good position to stay up, but we have to keep pushing on.”

Parish hardly had time to get a feel of the ball when they fell behind to Smith’s second-minute strike.

Parish conceded a corner, which Smith stabbed across the line from close range, after being afforded just enough time and space in the box.

Cougars were in the ascendancy and with better finishing might have killed the game off long before the break.

After playing most of the first half on the back foot, Parish changed their shape with Michael Albouy moving from midfield to join Donavan Thompson up top.

The gamble proved a good one as the visitors began to penetrate deep into Cougars’ territory. Parish enjoyed loads of possession in the closing stages of the first half, but couldn’t break down their opponents who took their slim advantage into the break.

Parish started the second half with more sense of urgency and after pinning Cougars down in their own half seemed destined to score.

However, they were nearly caught out on the break when Mark Steede side-footed Charmari Burns’s rebound over a wide open goal to the amazement of everyone around the ground.

The game remained wide open with both teams carving out half chances before the hosts finally pulled further away.

Smith grabbed his second to double Cougars’ lead from the penalty spot after Kwame Steede was hacked down from behind in the box in the 64th minute.

By now Parish were a beaten bunch, and Steede made sure there would be no way back for the visiting side when he slotted home a high ball played over the top that the defence and goalkeeper failed to deal with.

Defeat leaves Parish two points adrift at the bottom of the table having played a game more than the two teams directly above them, Boulevard and Southampton Rangers.

The two teams play each other at Southampton Oval tomorrow, while in the day's other Premier Division games, Robin Hood take on PHC at Goose Gosling Field, Dandy Town host North Village at St John’s Field and Devonshire Colts take on Somerset Trojans at Police Field.