Rangers’ Russell strikes last-gasp winner
Southampton Rangers 4PHC 3Dennis Russell scored in the 90th minute to grab Southampton Rangers a valuable win over tenants PHC at Southampton Oval yesterday.Russell struck the winner having also netted in the 20th minute, while Janeiro Tucker and Keimon Simmons scored in the 29th and 54th minute respectively.PHC got a brace form Cecoy Robinson and a solo strike from Shakir Smith.“I don’t know what to say right now, it was a good result in a game that could have gone either way and I’m just pleased to be the one who scored the winner,” said Russell.“We are looking pretty good at the moment. Last week was a bad result (a 3-1 loss to Dandy Town) and we just wanted to get a positive response to that.“There is a long way to go . . . and in a derby with a lot of things on the line you have to be ready to get the job done.“It’s nothing to me to score the winner, it’s more about what the team does. That is the most important thing.”PHC will be ruing their missed opportunities with skipper Robinson squandering a one-on-one chance in the first minute of the match, pushing his effort into the side netting at the near post.Rangers also had a chance in the eighth minute but Tucker saw his free kick curl onto Troy Hall jrs’ crossbar before being cleared.Sean Perinchief would be the culprit for PHC taking the lead in the 18th minute when his errant pass was snatched up and sent into the area for Robinson to open their account with a looping header.The lead would last two minutes, however, as a long throw from Keedai Astwood found Tucker who controlled the ball and sent it into the path of Russell who planted his effort into the net from six yards.Tucker went from supplier to recipient in the 29th minute when a corner found him unmarked in the area and he made no mistake with his header.An immediate response would follow from Zebras when slack defending again would allow an unmarked Robinson to thrash home his effort at the back post one minute later.Smith would then get on the sheet in the 33rd minute after Rangers couldn’t handle another cross in the area, with the pacy striker running from the back post to slam his shot into the roof of the net.Simmons would draw the sides level nine minutes into the second half after Hall made a hash of a cross, falling in the net.It was left to Russell to put home the winner in the last minute of regular time, driving a powerful shot past Hall to wrap up the points.Southampton Rangers: J Smith, S Perinchief, J Charles (D Pearman, 46), K Simmons, J Hill(S Astwood, 61), J Tucker, V Perinchief, D Russell, T Russell, K Astwood (Y Darrell, 75)Substitutes not used: K Symonds, A Raynor, C WoolridgeGoals: D Russell, 20,90, J Tucker, 29, K Simmons, 54Yellow: V Perinchief, S Perinchief, J TuckerPHC: T Hall, M Waldron, J Ball, C Robinson, J Sealy, A Russell, M Simmons, J Dupray (N Griffith, 61), L Bascome, M Piper, S SmithSubstitutes not used: M Lambe, R Glasford, C Robinson, T Brown, Larri Simons, K GriffithGoals: C Robinson, 18,30, S Smith, 33Referee: A MouchetteMan of the Match: V Perinchief