What a difference a week makes.

After looking a poor excuse of champion teams of the past, North Village turned on the style to emphatically put away a top contender in the form of Southampton Rangers at Bernard Park yesterday.

Two superb efforts from Elliott Jennings were the inspiration while other strikes from centre-half Michael Hansey and striker Sean Dill served to make the final scoreline somewhat flattering.

But Village fully deserved their victory as they adjusted better to the blustery conditions with two goals in each half.

And it was Jennings' second, two minutes upon resumption, that proved the difference in a hard-fought match.

The midfielder was released on the right after Rangers' Janeiro Tucker had been dispossessed and, with a surprising change of pace, he zipped past left-back Jason Raynor and coolly slotted the ball past advancing goalkeeper Garry Williams.

It was actually Village's second goal in three minutes -- they had scored through Hansey a minute before the break -- leaving Rangers with an uphill battle the rest of the way.

The visitors appeared ready for the challenge from the outset with former Red Devil Tillman Darrell testing Dwayne Adams as early as the fourth minute with a cross shot, and then again in the 11th.

But they were set back on their heels when Village opened the scoring in the 17th minute after their first spell of pressure.

Jamel Smith and Dill both were denied a shot after penetrating and the ball fell nicely for Jennings who picked his spot with a side-foot `pass' into the bottom right-hand corner from 18 yards.

Village threatened to run riot then as Jamel Smith and Damon Wade (twice) went close. And in the 27th minute 'keeper Williams misread a Nakia Smith corner and was saved by Janeiro Tucker's desperate clearance off the line.

Then, Rangers equalised against the run of play, the goal coming from Darrell their most dangerous player.

The right-winger pounced on a Randy Simmons cross from the left and gave Adams no chance with a rising drive from 15 yards.

This was just the tonic Rangers needed and within minutes Darrell was in behind the Village defence but Adams bravely cut out the Janeiro Tucker through pass.

Village regained the lead quite astonishingly in the 44th minute, Hansey's deflected shot eluding the frantic swipe of Williams, who might have been better advised to catch the ball.

Although it was a goalkeeping error, Village were just good enough to deserve the lead going into the break.

The Red Devils opened the second half well with Nakia Smith shooting narrowly wide after Wade pounced on a defensive error.

And then Jennings, the most senior player in the Village side, demonstrated a turn of pace that few knew he had for the killer goal.

Rangers were stung into attack and with a strong wind at their backs the odds were with them getting back into the match.

But Hansey did a fine job of marking chief dangerman Janeiro Tucker, who had very few looks at goal.

Village had numerous opportunities on the counter-attack and may have put the game out of reach earlier had the quality of the final pass been better.

On one such occasion in the 60th minute, Dill was led too far by Jamel Smith on a two-on-one, allowing Williams to come out to block the shot.

And four minutes later, Wade's side-foot volley on the end of a Jennings cross was palmed away by Williams.

Janeiro Tucker finally got a chance in the 65th minute, but his scooped volley from Ryan Belboda's cross went over. Still, it was a good move and the first indication of the player's lethal finishing.

With 13 minutes left, the hard-working striker rose well to get in a near-post header but Adams' best contribution foiled him, the 'keeper diving to his right to tip the ball onto the bar and over.

This was in the midst of non-stop Rangers pressure, but it was not to be their day and Village put them out of their misery with the fourth in the 83rd minute.

Another counter-attacking move on the right saw full-back Kevin Grant get in a cross near the corner flag and Dill beat the 'keeper to the ball on his near-post run and turned it into the net.

"We are gradually getting there,'' said Village coach Wendell Baxter afterwards. "Hopefully, by Christmas we will be.'' On such form, the holiday period will be busy indeed for the new holders of second place.

North Village: D.Adams; K.Simpson (A.Simons, 45 mins), D.Bell, M.Hansey, K.Grant; D.Wade, C.Dill, E.Jennings; J.Smith, S.Dill, N.Smith.

Southampton: G.Williams; J.Raynor, L.Simmons, P.Brangman, R.Belboda; R.Simmons, O.Jones, K.Simmons; K.Tucker (L.Seymour, 57 mins), J.Tucker, T.Darrell.

Referee: Dennis Wainwright.

Men of the match: Michael Hansey (North Village), Tillman Darrell (Southampton).

ELLIOTT JENNINGS -- double strike