Robin Hood 2

Dandy Town 0

Robin Hood captured the first FA Cup title in their history after a 2-0 upset over favourites Dandy Town Hornets in yesterday’s showpiece final at the National Stadium.

Hornets were looking to add the FA Cup to the Premier Division title they cantered to this season, but were undone by two second-half goals from Hood’s Ereico Outerbridge and substitute Shannon Burchall.

The two teams met in last season’s Friendship Trophy final when Town defeated Hood 4-3 only to be stripped of the title for fielding Kevin Hurdle as a substitute when he was not listed on the teamsheet.

There was no such controversy yesterday, however, with Kyle Lightbourne’s side, who finished runners-up to Town in the Premier Division, more than deserving of their victory to deny their rivals a third successive FA Cup final win.

“I’m very proud of my players today,” Lightbourne, the Hood coach, said. “Dandy Town are a very good team and we had to make the game difficult for them and deny them the space in behind because they have pace.

“I said to my team at half-time that the game was there to be won. They didn’t cause us any threat although Angelo [Simmons] should have opened the scoring, although that was from a mistake by us.

“That’s what the game is about, mistakes, and we tried to limit ours and today we were victorious. I’m pleased for my guys because they have worked hard throughout the season.”

Simmons’s opportunity on the half-hour mark was one of the game’s flashpoints, with the Hornets captain finding himself one-on-one with Jason Simons, the Hood goalkeeper, but failed to hit the target after lifting his effort over the crossbar.

It was the first genuine scoring chance during a cagey first half although Hood finished the opening half the stronger of the two teams, with the lively Lejuan Simmons firing over the bar before testing Mikkail Crockwell, the Hornets goalkeeper, with a low strike from outside the area.

There seemed very little to choose between the two teams before Hood took the lead when Crockwell parried a shot from Nathan Peskett, the Hood midfielder, into the path of Outerbridge to steer home from a tight angle.

The 22-year-old midfielder celebrated his goal with a side roll before pulling out an imaginary bow and arrow and firing in the direction of the “Hoodlums” — the team’s self-styled supporters group — who were making their presence known in the grandstand.

Falling behind appeared to knock the wind out of Hornets’s sails and Hood almost doubled their lead when Lejuan Simmons headed over before Peskett sliced a left-footed shot well wide.

Sensing his side were struggling, Jomar Wilkinson, the Town coach, made a double substitution with Oneko Lowe replacing Antonio Lowe and Kwonde Lathan coming on for the injured Drewonde Bascome.

The changes very nearly had the desired effect as Lowe prodded a first-time shot against the post with his very first touch of the ball after being picked out by Angelo Simmons.

Hornets were enjoying their best spell of the game and almost levelled when Tomiko Goater, a cousin of Shaun Goater, Lightbourne’s former Bermuda strike partner, fired straight at the onrushing Simons, and Angelo Simmons then blazed over after Hood’s goalkeeper had been caught in non-man’s land.

Hood weathered the brief storm and put daylight between themselves and Hornets when Burchall scrambled the ball in from close range after Hornets’ defence made a hash of clearing a Russell cross from the right.

Lightbourne’s side also had a strong penalty claim turned down when midfielder Lynn Tucker appeared to shove winger Lejuan Simmons in the back as he was preparing to pull the trigger.

It mattered little, though, with Hood playing out the final few minutes with very few alarms to complete a famous victory for the club, which only became a full Bermuda Football Association member in 2009.

“This is what it’s all about,” Lightbourne said. “We’re trying to improve with every season and this is just the beginning for Robin Hood.”

• Dandy Town won yesterday’s Player Development League final against Devonshire Cougars via a penalty shoot-out after the match had finished 1-1.

Town took the lead through Oneko Lowe in the first half, before Cashun Brangman equalised after the break. Cougars had goalkeeper Ajai Daniels sent off late in the game.

TEAMS

Scorers

Robin Hood (Outerbridge 61, Burchall 83)

Robin Hood (4-3-3): J Simons — J Pereira, P Froncioni sub: S Burchall, 68min), C Fosker, J Bather — M Thomas (sub: D Andrade, 78), N Peskett, A Nelson — L Simmons, A Russell (sub: C Boyce 90+1), E Outerbridge. Substitutes not used: A Ivo, D Taylor, L Simmons, T Dill, J Titterton, T Figureido. Booked: Bather.

Dandy Town (4-3-3): M Crockwell — K Tucker, D Williams, S Darrell, A Lowe (sub: O Lowe, 71) — D Bascome (K Lathan, 71), L Tucker, T Goater — D Ming, A Simmons, Q Maynard (sub: J Swan, 90). Substitutes not used: L Millet, T Daniels, E Blankendal, J Richardson-Martin, H Butterfield, E Moore.

Referee: R Cann.