Buoyed by their derby victory over Somerset Trojans on Sunday, Somerset Eagles soared to even higher heights last night with an emphatic 4-2 comeback trouncing of North Village at St. John's Field.

It was a high-calibre, team effort - except for some downright silly blunders by goalie Adrian Burrows - that earned Eagles the right to advance in the Friendship Trophy competition while catapulting Village - last year's finalist - from contention.

While obviously disappointed, Village need not be too hard on themselves. They were simply second best on a night when Eagles had the magic touch. Coach Marc Bean attributed the memorable performance to “improved training, team unity” and the momentum from Sunday's 3-1 triumph.

“I am very pleased with the boys, coming back from 1-0. There's a long season ahead and we'll be looking to build on this success,” noted Bean.

Things didn't begin so rosy for Eagles though as Village scored first with Kimandi Binns heading home a Keith Jennings corner in the ninth minute. The Eagles squandered two chances to equalise soon after but, in the 22nd minute, a rare error by Village's keeper, Dwayne (Streaker) Adams way off his line, left Eagles skipper Lamaul Crofton with an open goal into which he caressed the ball.

Five minutes later, Eagles fans were sensing an evening of jubilation as Stevie (Dread) Burrows scored with a cheeky back-heel in a goalmouth scramble to put the West End side 2-1 up at the half.

The action was equally fast-paced and nail-biting in the second 45 minutes with end-to-end attacks. Eagles player, Jabrel Tucker, was late returning to the field after the break but just in time to slot past Adams with a diagonal shot from left of the goal. That made it 3-1 in the 48th minute.

If it seemed like the writing was on the pitch for Village at that stage, a moment of David Seaman-like madness from Eagles custodian Adrian Burrows almost brought the opponents back into reckoning.

In the 51st minute, an apparently harmless chip by Marlon Dill - from just inside the halfway line - lobbed towards goal. Mere inches off his line, Burrows - perhaps thinking he was a spectator and not a player - watched as the ball dropped neatly between his head and the goal's upper left corner.

As Village celebrated their fortune, the incident evoked memories of a more costly by similar mistake by England's goalie Seaman in the World Cup match versus Brazil.

Thankfully for butter-fingered Burrows, who had problems collecting the ball all night, his misjudgment did not doom his team to demise as Seaman's had.

For good measure, Rodre (Piper) Wilson increased the winners' breathing space in the 63rd minute with a fourth goal.

He completed an Eagles breakaway run down the left flank by calming chipping the ball over an advancing Adams with the outside of his left boot.

Somerset Eagles: A.Burrows, A.Lambert, S.Simmons, D.Woolridge, N.Smith, J.Tucker (J.Bean, 80 mins), S.Morrissey, K.Simmons, R.Wilson (M.Dill, 72 mins), S.Burrows (D.Dowling, 58 mins), L.Crofton.

North Village: D.Adams, M.Dill, R.Spence (M.Crane, 66 mins), Kentoine Jennings, Keith Jennings, Kevin Jennings, S.Deshields (M.Hansey, 45 mins), C.Smith, J.Boyles, K.Dill (D.Coddington, 58 mins).

Men of the Match: Lamaul Crofton (Eagles); Keith Jennings (Village).

Booked: S.Simmons, S.Burrows (Eagles); Kentoine Jennings, Kevin Jennings (Village).

Referee: R.Knight