Young Men’s Social Club 0 Devonshire Cougars 5

Young Men’s Social Club crashed to their first defeat since returning to the Premier Division.

The home side were no match for the improving Devonshire Cougars, who took control once Calin Maybury opened the scoring with a 30-yard drive at Police Field. Cougars subdued their opponents with some excellent movement — with and without the ball — relentless pace up front and clinical finishing.

Kioshi Trott, the Cougars goalkeeper, had a quiet afternoon as he was called upon only twice either side of half-time as Social Club were unable to break down a Cougars defence held firmly together by brothers Zekiro and Zeko White.

Omar Butterfield, the Cougars coach, was thoroughly pleased with his players.

“We came out with the right attitude and it was a good result and a good performance,” the former Cougars defender said. “We’re improving each week, so we’re on the right track.”

Social Club’s woes were compounded by the loss of goalkeeper Jai-Oni Outerbridge, who was making his top-flight debut, and midfielder Menelik Rudo to late injuries, forcing them to finish the match with nine men having already used up their quota of substitutes.

Social Club went into the match with some momentum having taken a point off of Somerset Trojans on the opening day of the season. But after absorbing some pressure, Maybury gave Cougars a deserved lead when he beat Outerbridge with a low strike that squeezed inside of the goalkeeper’s near post.

Joneko Mallory doubled Cougars’ lead when he scored the first of his two superbly taken goals. The striker timed his run to well to latch onto Smith’s defence-splitting pass from midfield and kept his cool as he dribbled into the area and slotted past Outerbridge.

Social Club were fortunate not to concede a penalty after midfielder Cashun Brangman was bundled over in the box by Rudo, the referee Garic Swainson ignoring Cougars’ appeals.

However, Cougars would not be denied right on the stroke of half-time as Mallory headed in Maybury’s corner to put the visiting side firmly in control.

The closest Social Club came to scoring during the opening stanza was when Armstrong’s cross-cum-shot was palmed away by the alert Trott.

Social Club started the second half on a promising note, with Armstrong wasting a golden opportunity from close range. But Cougars again established control and pulled further away when Darren Williams drove in Machi Battersbee’s corner, the left back’s first goal in his fifth season at the club.

Rudo soon limped off with an ankle injury shortly after, leaving the home side to play on a man short. Cougars cashed in on their numerical advantage when substitute Mark Steede lashed in a rebound from Ijahman Mallory’s free kick from close range in the final minute.

Outerbridge injured his hand and could not play on to leave his team two men short.

TEAMS

Social Club: J Outerbridge — D Simons, K Francois, C Woolridge, G Saltus, K Rawlings (sub: C Darrell, 29), J Simmons (sub: P Darrell, 60), A Samuels, N Armstrong, M Rudo, M Young (sub: S Tuzo, 60). Booked:

Young. Substitutes not used: M Smith, Kelvon Butterfield, C Burgess, Kenneth Butterfield, A Purnell.

Devonshire Cougars: K Trott — D Williams (sub: Z Simmons, 65), Zeko White, Zekiro White, J Butterfield, C Maybury, J Smith (sub: J Wade, 82), I Mallory, C Brangman, M Battersbee, J Mallory (sub: M Steede, 61). Substitutes not used:

N Carmichael, S Jones, C Hardtman.

Referee: G Swainson.