X-Roads 1 Flanagan’s Onions 3

Flannagans Onions and hat-trick hero Treshon Smith took it to X-Roads in dominating fashion yesterday at Garrison Field yesterday.

Although X-Roads dictated play early in the game, they were not able to capitalise on their ball possession as frequent raids on the Onions goal produced little results.

Onions were kept busy in defence by repeated attacks, but they did just enough to repel the onslaught.

The visiting side were rewarded for their perseverance in the 20th minute when Mohammed Aden dispossessed Khamori Brangman just outside the X-Roads 18 yard box and distributed a deft pass to Smith who blasted past X-Roads goalkeeper Jez Burrows.

X-Roads entered the game looking to maintain their top-six position by the end of the season in order to secure qualification for the Dudley Eve Trophy next season.

Their aspirations took a hit as their ineptness in finding the back of the net because a lack of creativity up front.

Starting the second half, X-Roads took the field with a renewed sense of urgency and capitalised in the 52nd minute after a miscue by Onions defender Nicholas Dunkle when attempting to clear.

Dunkle’s mistake allowed the ball to pop out to Kashi Davis-Jones who wasted no time scoring past Onions goalkeeper, Lejaun Matthews to level the score.

However, it would prove to be a continued uphill battle for X-Roads as Onions went on a tear. On a long ball down the middle, Smith outpaced the X-Roads defence to notch his second in the 63rd minute.

Smith would see off any notions X-Roads may have entertained about staging a comeback when he scored again in the 65th minute from the penalty spot after X-Roads defender Tymon Daniels was adjudged to have handled the ball in the penalty area. Smith sent the goalkeeper in the opposite direction to complete his hat-trick. X-Roads had one final opportunity to score in the 89th minute but Jahmel Swan saw his blast from point-blank range turned aside by a reflex save from Matthews.

The rebounded fell into the path of substitute Antinori Butterfield who watched his effort blocked again by Matthews.

Onions striker Smith said, “We were trying to make a statement that if we were going to be going down, we would do so swinging.

Team-mate Shaki Swan added: “We try and fight our games with the heart of a lion to let other teams know that we’re not just pushovers.”

Onions are six points from safety with two games to go. Trojans, the team above them, have a superior goal difference.

TEAMS

X-Roads: J Burrows – J Furbert, A Burgess (sub: A Butterfield, 83min), O Williams, T Daniels, J Swan, K Brangman, K Davis-Jone (sub: T Lowe, 78), P Parsons, A Heyliger (sub: J Sanchez, 52), K Talbot. Substitutes not used: M McGowan, R Beek, K Godfrey.

Flanagans Onions: L Matthews – Markel Laws, Markez Laws, M Lindsey-Bailey, T Smith, M Aden (sub: M Williams, 68), S Swan, N Anglin (sub: P Smith, 54), J Higson (sub: M Field, 85), N. Dunkle, A Rocker. Substitutes not used: C Berkeley, J Morgan, O Wilson. Booked: Mark Laws, A Rocker.

Referee: W Maxwell.