Devonshire Cougars will be hoping their goal-laden victory in the Player Development League Festive Tournament final can rub off on their struggling first team.

Cougars stormed to a 4-0 win on Saturday at Goose Gosling Field against a weary looking BAA who fielded several players involved in their senior team’s penalty shoot-out triumph in the First Division Shield on New Year’s Day.

Cougars, whose first team sit rock bottom of the Premier Division, made the breakthrough in the eighteenth minute after midfielder Juma Mouchette raced onto a through ball before lifting it over goalkeeper Karl Brown.

They doubled their lead shortly after the interval when midfielder Zari Smith reacted quickly to a loose ball after a parried save from Brown, who, along with defender Quintonio Lema, was one of BAA’s two over-age players.

Collins Smith, the BAA coach, responded by bringing on Willie Clemons, who scored in the previous day’s Shield final, but they soon found themselves further behind after a superb solo effort by winger Trey Tucker, who outpaced the BAA defence before coolly slotting past Brown in the 52nd minute.

Despite being three-goals down, BAA continued to probe, playing some attractive football, but lacked cutting edge in the final third and were twice denied by fine saves from Kioshi Trott, the Cougars goalkeeper, after goal-bound efforts from Marcus Ming and Matthew Lampit.

Cougars added a fourth through Chris Albuoy who cleverly chipped Brown, who had raced off his line to narrow the angle, in the final minute of the game.

Omar Butterfield, the Cougars coach, believed his side’s performance showed the foundations of the club were strong despite the first team’s league position.

“This win will allow us to start the year on a good note and hopefully the senior team catches on,” Butterfield said. “The club is going through a rebuilding phase, but our future looks bright with these youngsters.

“It’s very important we filter these players into the first team as quickly and as smoothly as possible.”

Butterfield said he was equally delighted about his side’s resolute defending as he was their clinical finishing.

“Keeping a clean sheet was the main thing for me,” said Butterfield, whose side beat PHC Zebras 3-2 in the semi-final, courtesy of a last-gasp winner.

With the core of his team playing in the First Division Shield final, Smith said fatigue may have been a contributing factor in his side’s heavy defeat.

“I don’t think we were prepared for the pace of Cougars and maybe a little bit of partying after winning the Shield caught up with the players,” the BAA coach said.

“Take nothing away from Cougars, though, they played well. We struggled to contain them at times and didn’t take our chances.”