Dandy Town 0 North Village 0

(Town win 3-1 on penalties)

Dandy Town won the Player Development League Festive Tournament after beating North Village 3-1 on penalties at Bernard Park yesterday.

Town, who named Andrew Bascome as Jomar Wilkinson’s successor as first-team coach yesterday, will be hoping the trophy signals a change in their fortunes this season.

Both teams wasted good chances to snatch late winners, as Tahj Bell, the Village goalkeeper, made a low save from a free kick, while at the other end Lashun Dill put an angled effort wide of the far post.

Five minutes from the end Dill laid on a good opportunity for Zanawi Bowen. However, Bowen dragged his effort wide of the far post from a good position. Town went close again when the lively Oneko Lowe hurried his shot wide with just the goalkeeper to beat.

Bell started on the bench for Village but ended up playing 86 minutes after Detre Bell, the starting goalkeeper who is his brother went off with a hand injury after denying Zaire Burchall, with the pair colliding outside of the box.

Town came close to breaking the deadlock late in the first half when Tre Manders slid the ball through the legs of the advancing Bell before Azende Furbert booted the ball clear.

Both teams made unlimited substitutions in a bid to break the deadlock, and with the shadows lengthening, the match went straight to penalty kicks where Town finally prevailed after Dale Eve made a couple of saves.

Enyche Zuill scored Village’s first kick with Llineiko Millett doing likewise for Town despite Bell getting a hand to the ball as he dived to his right.

Eve then saved to his right to deny Demetri Daniels before Seion Darrell scored for Town. When Eve saved another kick, from Bowen and Jahtino Richardson-Martin scored, Town knew they were in a good position at 3-1.

Tareeko Wilson’s miss sealed the win for Town. “I think this group work well together as a unit and they work for each other,” Chevonne Furbert, the team coach, said. “When we lost the ball everybody got behind it and when we pressed forward everybody got forward at the same time,” she said.

“The plan worked, but unfortunately we didn’t put away a lot of the chances that we had, though in the end we came out on top.

“In the last third of the game we played like we wanted to win the game. The players are happy that we got something out of the Christmas holiday, and it’s good for this team because a couple of times they went to the final and came up short.”

Town will be unable to call on Oneko Lowe for the second half of the season as he is in school in Washington.

As he showed in the semi-finals against BAA, which Town also won on penalties, Lowe caused some problems for the opposing defence with his pace.

“He’s an excellent player, and he’s left footed, too. which gives us balance,” Furbert said. “But they have to get their education, and it pays off for us in the long run.

“We play Hood on Saturday night [in the Premier Division] and he may still be here for that game.

“Hopefully the senior team can build off this win and move forward.”