Somerset Eagles 0 Robin Hood 4

Robin Hood’s merry men marched into White Hill Field and came away with all three points with a comfortable win over the Somerset Eagles.

Hood’s goals came from Donte Brangman, Shakir Smith, substitute Lejaun Simmons, and an injury-time goal from full back Dante Taylor.

Last month, Eagles and Hood met in a closely fought Friendship Trophy preliminary match that ended 2-1 to Hood. However, their second meeting on Sunday would end up being far less of a contest.

Hood started the game with a high tempo and began to carve out chances, right from the whistle.

Just two minutes into the match, Antwan Russell, the Hood forward, got on the end of a good cross from Donte Brangman, but Russell’s shot from close range was saved by the Eagles’ goalkeeper, Lorenzo Lambert.

Three minutes later, Hood would get the goal that their early pressure warranted, with Brangman scoring from close range. After Brangman’s goal, Hood continued to dominate possession and create chances.

Nathan Peskett, the Hood central defender, headed over the bar from a Smith corner. Then Smith, in turn, blasted over from five yards out, after receiving a good pass from Russell.

Eagles created their first real chance of the match in the 23rd minute, when Cardel Henry, the Eagles midfielder, robbed a Hood defender of the ball and raced in on goal, but perhaps unaware of how much time he had, Henry raced his shot and fired straight into the arms of Timothy Figureido, the Hood goalkeeper.

Two minutes later, Anwar Telford, the Eagles midfielder, was forced to make a sliding tackle to cut out a Smith shot from inside the box, after a quick breakaway put Smith in on goal.

In the nineteenth minute, Smith would double Hood’s lead. Smith used his trademark pace to race onto a pass down the middle from Brangman and fire into the net. Five minutes later, Kanhai Fray almost got Eagles onto the scoresheet.

A smart through ball put Fray into the box, but the Eagles forward chipped over the bar with only the goalkeeper to beat.

Right on half-time, Dante Taylor, the Hood full back, fired in a surprising cross-cum-shot which grazed the crossbar, before just going wide of the net.

Although Eagles had made the early running in the second half, Hood slowly began to regain control of the match.

Lejaun Simmons came on for the visiting side midway through the half, and his introduction coincided with Hood catching their second wind.

Within minutes of entering the match, Simmons had two good chances to score, but he was unable to take them.

Simmons would manage to get his name in referee Martin Wyer’s book for choosing to argue with him.

However, moments after being booked Simmons would go on to score Hood’s third goal, with help from Brangman.

In the 80th minute, Brangman chased down a long ball and upon getting into the box he unselfishly squared a pass for Simmons who obliged by putting it home and putting Hood firmly in control with a 3-0 lead.

After Simmons scored, Eagles were forced to push forward in order to get something out of the match, but were unable to find a consolation goal.

Instead, Taylor, the Hood full back, would score a fourth goal for Hood.

Just like he had done in the last minute of the first half, Taylor raced down the flank and fired in a cross-cum-shot, which was almost a carbon copy of his earlier effort.

However, this one ended up in the back of the net.

Taylor’s extraordinary effort effectively ended the match and minutes later the whistle blew.