Southampton 0 PHC 1

PHC Zebras came away with all the spoils from their Premier Division derby against hosts Southampton Rangers that failed to live up to expectations at Southampton Oval yesterday.

Enrique Russell netted a contentious winner just before the half while Shaquille Trott, the PHC goalkeeper, saved Khimo Harrison’s penalty shortly after play resumed to preserve the visitors slim advantage.

“Very happy with the energy we gave today, I couldn’t ask for more,” Marco Warren, the PHC captain, said.

“I’m happy that the guys executed our game plan exactly.

“I’m pretty happy with our high press, happy with our intensity. We didn’t give them too much of a sniff so it’s a good shut-out for us once again.

“We high pressed well and got them to cough up the ball a lot, and that’s another playmaker for us.

“Big credit to Shaquille Trott for saving the penalty.”

The win was PHC’s second in the league which leaves them in fifth, level on points with Rangers and Somerset Trojans.

The visitors started on the front foot as Rangers sat deep and invited pressure.

PHC stretched Rangers with their movement, which enabled them to get behind Rangers’s back four with relative ease.

Winston Trott Jr’s team should have been clear out of sight by the half given the amount of good looks they had at goal, with Cory Booth and Russell among the chief offenders.

PHC dodged two bullets when goalkeeper Trott grabbed Michael Lambe’s back pass which went unchecked and then referee Dwight Jackson awarded Rangers a free kick on the edge of the area after midfielder Vernon Perinchief appeared to have been fouled well inside.

Rangers’s woes were further compounded when Russell scored the controversial winner from a fluent counter attack.

The striker appeared to be standing in an offside position when he gained possession of Booth’s chip over the defence and lobbed Shaquille Bean, the Rangers goalkeeper, into the empty net.

The goal seemed to wake Rangers from their slumber as they finished the half on a stronger note. First Trott produced a reflex save to thwart Perinchief from close range and then Quadir Maynard had a close range effort right in front of goal deflected wide off the boot of Diondre Dowling.

The hosts picked up where they left off at the start of the second half with experienced striker Dion Stovell, who replaced Keishon Wilson at the break, causing problems in the attack third.

Rangers threatened again when Maynard’s goal-bound effort was headed away by Darren Usher, the PHC right back.

The visitors squandered another opportunity against the run of play when Russell showed the defence a clean pair of heels only to shot tamely into Bean’s arms when scoring seemed easier.

The glaring miss nearly came back to haunt as Stovell won Rangers a penalty on the right side of the box.

However, defender Harrison failed to capitalise as his weak effort was easy pickings for Trott.

PHC then took over from here as Rangers ran out of ideas and steam with Bean saving Russell’s low blast at the near post and then denying substitute Kushae Hypolite from point-blank range.

“Very hard loss,” Jomar Wilkinson, the Rangers coach, said.

“I thought for the most part the game was evenly balanced.

“Very unfortunate with the goal we gave up. A lack of concentration cost us and then for us to be awarded a penalty and not convert that could’ve changed the game.

“Then we lost our shape chasing the game and I think we were lucky not to get scored upon again, to be honest.”

SCORERS

PHC: Russell 35

TEAMS

Southampton (4-2-3-1): S Bean — D Frost, M Burch, R Sampson, K Harrison — D Brangman, Q Maynard — T Ming (sub: T Manders, 52min), D Ming, V Perinchief (sub: C Henry, 85) — K Wilson (sub: D Stovell, 46). Substitutes not used: S Perinchief, R Wright, J Hill. Booked: Sampson, Frost, Bean, V Perinchief.

PHC (4-2-3-1): S Trott — D Smith-Lightbourne, M Lambe, D Dowling, D Usher — M Joell, K Bean — M Warren, J Sealy, C Booth (sub: J Joseph, 85) — E Russell (sub: K Hypolite, 81). Substitutes not used: J Eve, T Welch, O Tucker, Z Lee, A Douglas. Booked: Booth, Hypolite.

Referee: D Jackson.