Two years ago, North Village managed to postpone Vasco's championship celebrations with a 1-0 victory over them at Bernard Park. Vasco finally clinched that 1996 title in fine style against St George's at PHC Stadium a week later, but yesterday, at the same venue, the Red Devils were unable to delay the inevitable.

Identical headed goals by Meshach Wade and Kentoine Jennings and a Beckham-esque third by centre back Paul Towlson from close to the half-way line enabled the Portuguese side to clinch their second Coca Cola First Division title in three years.

Afterwards there was a sense of delight and pride but most of all relief from the new champions' coach John Rebello.

"We had two great training sessions this week on Wednesday and Friday but it was hard to get the guys focused and motivated,'' he admitted. "Up at the club everyone was in that party mood. We were already thinking we'd won it. We showed up for the game but we didn't play until after about 30-35 minutes. It was really ugly.

"Then we started to get it together and in the second half, I thought, it was a lot better performance.'' Rebello had hit it right on the nail. It was not Vasco's most convincing display by a long way. But what this side has managed to do all season is to keep on winning despite the odd below-par performance -- so much so that no opponents have come away with the spoils in 22 matches. That, so the pundits say, is the mark of a great side.

And Rebello is quick to point out that it's been done without a settled team.

"I keep saying it's been the whole squad of 20 who've kept us up there,'' he said.

"Two years ago when we won the league championship we didn't have any injuries.

"This year there's been such great depth. We've had people coming off the bench like the Tillman Darrells, Donovan (Livingston) and just filling in the holes.'' So did he view this year's championship as a bigger achievement than the last one? "Definitely,'' he said. "Everyone looks at us and says `you've got a great team, you should win', but they're not here day in day out, they're not at the training sessions and if people were to go back and look at the newspapers, it's a different team every week.

"You're looking at Donovan Livingston and people say `what a great player' but he's 40 years old. People don't look at that and see it's taken a lot of gelling, a lot of hard work, a lot of hard pre-season. Everyone thinks you just turn up and put out an 11. It's not that easy.'' And Rebello had special praise for Meshach Wade who, despite his fiery temperament and well-documented off field problems, has really come into his own in recent weeks, popping up to score a number of important goals.

"To me he's one of the most talented players on the Island, in regard to his knowledge of the game,'' said Rebello. "You wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of him -- he goes into these zones at times -- but he's an all round player: he can score goals, he can pass the ball, he can defend.

"His life revolves around football, he loves the game. When he goes out there he gives 150 percent.'' It was Wade who emerged to lift the game out of first gear after 40 minutes of largely nondescript football.

Seven minutes earlier, in Vasco's first meaningful attack, he had seen his low shot from an acute angle well saved by Nyon Steede, who was forced to limp off injured at half-time. This time he arrived at the far post to head Sinclair Gibbons' deep corner back across the goalkeeper and into the roof of the net.

It was a blow to the young Village side, resting a number of players ahead of next week's re-match in the FA Cup semi-final. They had shown far more willingness to attack and often only the final ball was lacking. Goalkeeper Timmy Figureido had to be alert to block Lionel Cann when he took advantage of a poor clearance by Kentoine Jennings in the 21st minute.

But with the one goal cushion Vasco settled in the second half without ever playing football that was worthy of champions-elect. And in the 73rd minute Jennings, a la Wade, made a late run to head home Gibbons' left wing corner at the far post.

Towlson added insult to injury with a third eight minutes from time which was a personal nightmare for substitute keeper Sherwin Jennings.

The lanky defender's up and under from the half way line took a huge bounce from the hard PHC pitch and the scrambling Jennings, who had earlier saved brilliantly from Sammy Swan, could only palm it into the roof of the net.

Figureido, impressive all year in the Vasco goal, decided to celebrate with an equally ridiculous error, failing to gather a through ball and watching, grounded, as Jamel (Mouse) Smith turned the ball past Derek Stapley on the line for a Village consolation in stoppage time.

Vasco: T.Figureido, D.Stapley, M.Wade, P.Towlson, S.Gibbons, V.Astwood, Kentoine Jennings, S.Swan (E.Richardson 86 mins), C.Smith (Keith Jennings 74 mins), D.Basden, T.Dickenson.

North Village: N.Steede (S.Jennings 45 mins), Kofi Dill, R.Spence, D.Jennings, M.Hansey, J.Samuels (V.Tankard 71 mins), Kiewon Dill (J.Boyles 62 mins), D.Whitefield, L.Cann, J.Jennings, J.Smith.

Referee: George O'Brien.

Men of the match: Meshach Wade (Vasco); Lionel Cann (Village).