Devonshire Cougars 2 Devonshire Colts 1

Devonshire Colts are facing relegation back to the First Division after a heartbreaking loss at Devonshire Recreation Club where the home team scored after just 12 seconds.

Colts suffered an early blow when Shaki Pearman netted soon after the opening whistle.

Colts fought back to equalise late in the first half through Kyle Jones, only to suffer two early blows in the second half.

Defender Jehkeylo Burgess was sent off for using foul language towards referee Robert Hudson, before substitute Trey Tucker netted the winner ten minutes later to send Colts crashing. Relegation could be confirmed next weekend when they play Dandy Town, the only team they have managed to beat this season, in a 6-4 win at Police Field in November.

“I can’t even be upset with the players, they left it all out there on the pitch,” Ray Jones, the Colts coach, said. “Unfortunately when you are on the bottom you don’t get the calls.

“Even though we went down after 12 seconds, Kyle Jones was through on a breakaway, gets brought down outside the box and the player doesn’t even get a talking to.

“The rule says outside the box in a goalscoring opportunity is a red card, Fifa has made that quite clear. So to not even get a card speaks volumes of our season. At that moment they would have had to play about 80 minutes with ten men.”

Cougars took the lead when Calin Maybury’s long ball into the Colts half sent Charmari Burns down the right. He got into the box and crossed into the middle where Pearman calmly tapped home from six yards. Jones went close for Colts minutes later when he put a header wide of the far post.

Colts were kept in the game when Gregory Rose produced a good save to a volley from Burns after a cross to the far post by Lamont Brangman.

Colts’ determination paid off three minutes before the break when Jones equalised. Eli Smith did the work down the right flank and crossed into the six-yard box, where Jones applied the finishing touch.

Just when Colts were preparing for a push in the second half, they suffered another setback when full back Burgess received his marching orders for foul and abusive language. The teenager had already been booked.

Cougars quickly capitalised on the one-man advantage with Tucker, who had only come on minutes earlier for Brangman, produced a goal out of nothing from the edge of the box when he pounced on a loose ball and struck a volley into the roof.

Pearman almost added a third in the 74th minute when he lobbed the ball over Rose only to see Kijuan Wilkinson boot the ball clear.

“My team showed a lot of character with ten men but once again it was a young player, just 17 years old, who got the red card,” Jones said. “He got the foul so what was he upset about with the referee? Inexperience again paid the price, so now just when I thought we were coming into the game to take a stranglehold on the match, we have to reorganise to play with ten men.

“The [Cougars] player swings his foot at a ball that’s bouncing, not even looking at the goal and the ball ends up in the goal. It just speaks to the season, however, I was proud of the effort, proud that they are still putting it in regardless of how things are going.”

SCORERS

Devonshire Cougars

Pearman 1, Tucker 66

Devonshire Colts

K Jones 56

TEAMS

Devonshire Cougars (4-3-3): Z Outerbridge-Smith — D Williams (sub: J Smith, 51min), K Franks, Zekiro White, N Carmichael — C Maybury (sub: L Total, 77), Zeko White, M Battersbee — L Brangman (sub: T Tucker, 60), S Pearman, C Burns. Substitutes not used: J Mallory, H Stevens-Carty, N Simmons, S Jones. Booked: J Smith, Maybury.

Devonshire Colts (4-4-2): G Rose — J Burgess, V Lambe, K Wilkinson, A Hart — R Jones, F Lema, D Lambe (sub: J Paynter, 61), L Symonds (sub: B O’Connor, 75) — K Jones, E Smith. Substitutes not used: D Wainwright, D Ball, J Butterfield. Booked: J Burgess. Sent off: Burgess.

Referee: R Hudson.