Somerset Eagles 3 Devonshire Colts 2

Somerset Eagles boosted their chances of survival and dealt a killer blow to Devonshire Colts' title hopes with a 3-2 win at White Hill Field yesterday.

Rock-bottom at the start of play, Eagles' victory lifts them above PHC by a single point after the Zebras lost 1-0 to Somerset Trojans.

Colts, meanwhile, who had been top just before Christmas, have now slipped into the bottom three, just three points clear of yesterday's opponents.

With Eagles going 1-0 down after 25 minutes when Aljame Zuill headed home Ryan Evans' cross, those watching could have been forgiven for expecting an avalanche of goals.

However, Colts were caught cold just three minutes later when the excellent Lamaul Crofton headed on for Sean Dill to latch onto the pass and fire low past Cymande Davis.

Inspired by this strike against the run of play, Eagles took the game to Colts and would have been 2-1 up at the break had Davis not moved smartly to save Nakia Smith's shot with his feet.

They did not have long to wait to take the lead though, as a minute after the restart Crofton went on a mazy run that took in almost all of Colts' half.

Defenders stood off him, allowing Crofton to look up as he reached the box and unleash a strike that Davis parried. But it hit the Eagles man on the rebound and went into the back of the net.

Four minutes later Dill, Crofton and Smith were involved in some terrific interplay that resulted in Dill's shot with the outside of the boot just going wide of the post.

Had Zuill been able to connect with Shannon Burgess' deep cross soon after, then the outcome of the match might have been a little different. He didn't and Eagles made Colts pay.

With 60 minutes on the clock Duval Binns sent a pinpoint pass into the path of Crofton whose cross from the byline was headed home powerfully by Smith.

It could and should have been four shortly after Colts' captain Burgess was taken off with a knee injury. Another Crofton cross was met by the unmarked Smith but he put his header wide.

Following the miss the momentum began to swing back in favour of Colts - Eagles satisfied that they could hold out until the final whistle. However, by allowing Colts to camp in their half, Eagles invited unnecessary pressure and Zuill was on hand to grab his second goal of the afternoon from within the six yard box when Gershon Gibbons' free-kick was not cleared.

Colts pressed for the equaliser and when referee Lyndon Raynor added four minutes for stoppages, Eagles' hearts must have been in their mouths.

But they need not have worried, Colts getting pretty much what they deserved from their afternoon's toil - nothing.

Eagles' coach Marc Bean said the three points were revenge for the two clubs' meeting earlier in the season.

"In the first half of the season they beat us 2-1 but we outplayed them and we felt that they left White Hill with three points that they should not have had," he said. "Today, we had few changes but they (Eagles) showed the character that I know they possess and I am very proud of them, coming back from 1-0 down and pulling it out."

At the start of play there were not many people who would have said that Eagles were capable of pulling off the win but Bean, understandably, disagreed.

"On paper, I think that we have a real good team," he said. "We just haven't performed for ourselves. The difference today was our heart."

Bean said he was pleased with all of his players, though some deserved special mention.

"It was a team effort but a few players stood out in my mind," he said. "Duval Binns, a veteran, showed that he is still a class act in the centre of midfield, Lamaul Crofton and Nakia Smith, again class acts, and Shaun Simmons."

Bean said he was confident the team could build on the result and pull away from the drop zone.

"Not only can we avoid relegation but we can hopefully finish mid-table and get a trophy," he said, the latter comment a challenge to local rivals Somerset Trojans whom the Eagles meet in the next round of the FA Cup.

Colts: C.Davis; R.Evans; G.Gibbons; S.Burgess (K.Simpson, 60 mins); J.Belboda; M.Hollis (J.Aberdeen, 67 mins); K.Outerbridge; L.Holder; Q.Aberdeen; A.Zuill; S.Mendes (J.Smith, 74 mins).

Eagles: A.Burrows; A.Lambert; S.Simmons; D.Woolridge; K.Simmons; M.Dill; M.Butterfield; D.Binns (S.Burrows, 78 mins); S.Dill (D.Dowling, 90 mins); N.Smith; L.Crofton.

Men of the match: G.Gibbons (Colts); L.Crofton (Eagles).

Referee: L.Raynor.