Dandy Town Hornets avenged their Charity Cup defeat at the hands of North Village ten days ago with a thumping 3-1 victory in the group stages of the Martonmere Cup last night ? a win which guarantees them a place in the semi-finals.

On a rough and bumpy pitch at BAA, the game was a rather scrappy affair as both teams struggled to find a rhythm and often resorted to hoofing the ball down the flanks for the wingers to chase.

Bermuda international Khano Smith was a constant threat with his power and pace throughout the game, and it was he who opened the scoring in the 39th minute after Town had largely dominated the opening exchanges.

Running intelligently along the line of the back four, the lanky forward timed his run to perfection to beat the predictable Village off-side trap and bore down on goal before finishing expertly into the top right hand corner of the net with the outside of his left foot.

Village huffed and puffed in midfield, occasionally forcing Town?s keeper Antoine Lightbourne into saves with shots from long distance ? but it was hard to avoid the impression that Town were far sharper and more determined to win the loose ball for much of the first half.

Supporting Smith ably up front was the tricky Lloyd Holder, who almost doubled the scoreline just before half time with a rasping right foot shot from the edge of the area which the keeper palmed to safety.

But given their dominance of possession and sheer number of chances in front of goal, Town coach Devarr Boyles may well have been disappointed to go in at half time with only a tenuous one goal advantage.

Yet any anxiety on Boyles? part was quickly dispelled immediately after the break, as shambolic Village defending gifted the St.John?s Road side a two goal cushion.

Good work from the Town defender Adam Outerbridge down the right flank, who just kept going despite a succession of heavy challenges, saw the ball trickle into the six yard box. With the Village defenders fatally hesitating, Otis Steede nipped in at the far post to ram the ball in from close range with his left foot.

Stirred into action by their predicament, Village refused to meekly submit to the Town assault ? hitting the post soon after conceding the second following a frantic goal mouth melee in which it was impossible to see who got the final touch.

At the other end, however, Town continued to create chances, with Smith using his considerable aerial prowess to power a header towards goal from a corner in the 67th minute ? only to see Village keeper Calvin Augustus once again up to the task.

As hard as Village worked, their attacking play lacked penetration for the most part and it was not long before the lightning quick Town substitute Lashon Dill made them pay.

The move involved Smith once again, who picked up the ball on the left wing and began a menacing charge towards the edge of the area, before slipping a delightful through ball in between a rather static Village back line into the path of the advancing Dill.

With his right foot, from only ten yards out and with only the keeper to beat, the striker could not but bury the chance.

To Village?s credit, even with a three-goal deficit they continued to work hard, and they were painfully unlucky not to be rewarded for their efforts when, in the 76th minute, a 25 yard shot from Ralph Bean Jr. cannoned back off the upright only to fall straight into the grateful arms of Lightbourne.

But just when it seemed that nothing would go their way, referee George O?Brien Jr. awarded them a penalty in the dying minutes for a foul on George Fox Thomas.

Bean was happy to step up to convert the spot-kick, although the goal came far too late in the night to be considered anything other than a consolation.

Afterwards Town coach Boyles expressed his satisfaction with the result, signalling out Smith and Irishman David Lawler for special mention.

?North Village certainly did not have their strongest team out tonight but I thought we played some good stuff nonetheless,? he said.

?This tournament is always a challenge so early on in the season because of the number of games in a short space of time and it is tough physically for the guys. But I?m very happy overall with the squad of players we have and I hope that we can emulate last season?s success this year.? A.Lightbourne, A.Outerbridge, D.Lawler, M.Lowe, L.Furbert, T.Douglas, S.Tuzo (L.Dill 60 mins), J.Penniston (C.Smith 58 mins), O.Steede, K.Smith, L.Holder: C.Augustus, G.Augustus (M.Crane 62 mins), S.Goater, G.Fox-Thomas, K.Dill, T.Outerbridge, J.Boyles, J.Jennings, Q.Paynter, R.Bean, D.Wade (D.Simons 74): K.Dill (Village): K.Smith (Town) R.Bean (Village): G.O?Brien Jr.