North Village 2 Dandy Town 0

North Village returned to the top of the Premier Division at the expense of champions Dandy Town at Bernard Park yesterday.

Kieshen Bean, the Village captain, played an integral role in his team’s victory, as he scored just before the interval and then set up Nacori Smith’s insurance strike in second-half stoppage time.

The triumph, Village’s fifth of the season, allowed them to leapfrog PHC Zebras at the top of the table on goal difference.

Bean, who led his team by example, credited the victory to the tactics deployed by coach Devarr Boyles, a former Town player and coach.

“Coming into the game, we prepared right and coach Boyles got his tactics right again,” Bean said. “We had our tactics right and went out and executed. All credit to Boyles.

“We were under the cosh for the most part; they kept coming at us. But we knew that if we get one or two chances, we were going to put them away.”

Town, who suffered their fifth loss of the season, remain second from bottom with just one point from a possible 18.

There was plenty of optimism in the visiting camp before kick-off, with late transfer Kwame Steede among their starting line-up.

Steede’s presence gave Town more potency in attack and seemed to lift morale as Town gained early control.

Town bossed most of the opening stanza with their fluent passing and movement, and should have taken the lead when Kor-Von Tucker’s corner kick fell invitingly to Goater standing right in front of goal. But with only Tahj Bell, the North Village goalkeeper, to contend with, the midfielder failed to convert when scoring seemed easier.

Bean would not be as wasteful at the other end. And it was his clinical header that effectively separated the city rivals.

Shayne Hollis whipped in a corner for Bean to rise unchallenged and powerfully head into Ajai Daniels’s bottom right corner.

The goal clearly jolted Town, who nearly responded immediately afterwards on a counter-attack.

Steede sent Simmons through with a beautiful long pass into space behind the defence. However, Bell was equal to the task, rushing off his line to narrow the angle and repel Simmons’s angled effort right on the half-time whistle.

Village started the brighter of the two sides in the second half, with Thomas Watson slicing wide of the near post after being fed a pass from fellow midfielder Phillip Parsons.

Town eventually regained control, with Steede and Simmons linking up well in the last third.

Simmons had Village hearts in their mouths when he curled just wide from 20 yards and then held his head in disbelief after his first touch to Steede’s precision cross inside the box let him down.

Steede also could not believe his luck when his flick in the box with the outside of his boot was easily saved by Bell after Simmons’s long pass sent him in the clear.

At the other end, a subdued Hollis shot tamely into Daniels’s arms after being played through, as Village threatened again on a quick break upfield.

Boyles brought on fresh legs midway through the second half, which ultimately paid off as substitute Smith killed the game off in stoppage time.

Bean intercepted a Town goal kick in their own half and drew Daniels off his line before passing to the unmarked Smith, who buried his effort from close range despite the presence of Tucker standing on the goalline.

SCORERS

North Village

K Bean 33

Smith 90+2

TEAMS

North Village (4-5-1): T Bell — J Davis, J Harvey, A Furbert, K Knights (sub: D Tankard, 62) — P Parsons (sub: J Briers, 62), R Bean, S Hollis, T Watson, L Dill (sub: N Smith, 68) — K Bean. Substitutes not used: E Zuill, D Dillas, P Smith, Z Bowen. Booked: Furbert.

Dandy Town (4-3-3): A Daniels — K Wade, K Lathan, J Richardson-Martin, K Tucker — L Tucker, J Swan, E Blankendal (sub: D Ming, 53) — A Simmons, K Steede, T Goater (sub: T Wilson, 67). Substitutes not used: D Eve, K Davis, E Moore, A Lewis. Booked: Swan.

Referee: M Wyer.