PHC put aside a run of poor form in recent weeks, rising from the ashes to defeat defending champions Devonshire Colts 1-0 in the first round of the Dudley Eve Trophy on Saturday night.

A late strike from striker McLee Smith proved decisive in a contest that appeared destined to be decided by penalty kicks, after each team had wasted numerous opportunities to score early on.

This was particularly true of Colts, who dominated much of the action and should well have settled matters in the first half, with college student Damon Ming and forward Lloyd Holder the chief culprits in the failure to find the back of the net.

Hence the men in orange were made to pay the price for such inept finishing, being forced into a sudden-death situation in the losers' match against Dandy Town yesterday (see page 25). Holder squandered an early chance to move his side into the lead, as, after controlling a long ball forward by goalkeeper Kevin Bean and beating last man Dano Outerbridge, he construed to blast his shot over the crossbar with the goal beckoning.

In the 14th minute, it was Ming's turn to make mess of a gift opportunity, somehow poking the ball wide right from 10 yards from Marvin Belboda's cross.

Then fine passing between Ming, Keenan Burchall and Quincy Aberdeen served to spring Ming inside the area, but he again could not find the target. The second half began with PHC on the attack, with Smith somehow denied from point-blank range by the super-quick reflexes of Bean.

Belboda though continued to wreak havoc at the other end, tearing apart the Zebras defence in the 59th minute, only to have his fellow attackers let him down. And then in the 70th it was Belboda setting up Ming, but the latter's crash his header off the post.

This set up Smith for a dramatic winner eight minutes from time, benefiting from hard work by substitute David Hunt, who gained possession on the left, eluded one defender before sending in a pass to the unmarked Smith, who calmly controlled before picking a spot past a hopelessly exposed Bean.

Devonshire Colts: K.Bean; K.Simpson, S.Burgess, D.Zuill, J.Simmons; K.Burchall, Jermaine Belboda (C.Durham 83 mins), D.Ming; M.Belboda, L.Holder, Q.Aberdeen (M.Gibbons 72 mins).

PHC: J.Smith; M.Williams, S.Lewis, D.Outerbridge, C.Dowling; O.Steede, C.Furbert, M.Lambe (D.Hunt 78 mins); S.Astwood (D.Tucker 78 mins), M.Smith, D.Wilson.

Men of the match: Kevin Simpson (Devonshire Colts); Stanton Lewis (PHC).

Yellow card: Michael Williams (Devonshire Colts) Referee: George O'Brien.