Boulevard 3 X-Roads 7

X-Roads took a big step towards safety after striker Kahmori Brangman netted four times to lead them to their biggest win this season at St David’s yesterday.

Brangman, who scored three goals in a second-half scoring blitz by X-Roads, became their second player behind Paul Simons to score four goals in a match this season.

That match against Flanagan’s Onions finished 4-4, but this time X-Roads finished comfortable winners as Boulevard fell apart in the second half after twice taking the lead in the first period.

Two Boulevard players, striker Jahzardae Samuels and defender Zico Stovell, got involved in a heated exchange in the 73rd minute after Brangman scored his third goal.

Samuels told his coach to take him off and then walked off, throwing his jersey to the ground as he left his team with ten men before Sanjay Fostin replaced him two minutes later.

After the final whistle Samuels returned to the team’s bench and got involved in another exchange with Stovell, this time things threatening to get out of control before players and referee Anthony Francis kept the players apart.

The incident overshadowed an impressive fightback by X-Roads who kept their calm after going a goal down after just three minutes. Boulevard took the lead when a long ball into their box set up Samuels who had his shot blocked by goalkeeper Dashaun Cooper before Davis followed up to score into an open goal.

Midfielder Jahmel Swan hooked the ball past goalkeeper Ronniko Burchall from a shot on the turn inside the box to level it up eight minutes later, after Brangman set him up.

Boulevard, who beat X-Roads 4-0 in their first meeting in October, went back in front midway through the half when Samuels was fouled and took the penalty himself, scoring at the second attempt after the first kick was ordered to be retaken after an encroachment.

A well-struck shot from Brangman from 25 yards levelled it up again just before half-time, his low shot going just inside Burchall’s left-hand post. X-Roads scored again 90 seconds into the second half to take the lead for the first time, Tymon Daniels finding the net with a tap-in at the far post following a cross from the left by Rico Beek.

After that it was all X-Roads, with Burchall diving to his left to keep out Brangman’s shot minutes later. Swan won a penalty when he was fouled and Kashi Davis-Jones converted to make it 4-2.

Brangman scored his team’s fifth a minute later on the hour, before completing his hat-trick in the 73rd minute when he steered Swan’s shot past the goalkeeper, leaving Boulevard players to turn on each other in frustration. The X-Roads striker could hardly put a foot wrong and added his fourth and his team’s seventh a minute from the end when he found the net with another shot from outside the box that went into the bottom corner.

Referee Francis awarded a fourth penalty of the game right at the end when X-Roads captain Jamin Furbert committed a foul and Boulevard substitute Teron-Lorance Butterfield converted with the last kick of the game.

The win makes it seven points from their last three matches for X-Roads, scoring 13 goals in the process, as they moved ahead of Somerset Trojans and to within a point of Boulevard in sixth place.

“We showed a lot of character and I really give credit to my players because the first half was very difficult and the game could have gone either way,” said Fared El Karfa, the X-Roads coach.

“In the second half we came out more prepared and with more fighting spirit and it started producing more goals. Besides the result, the way we scored the goals was brilliant in my opinion.”

Brangman, in the absence of Simons and Aaron Spencer Jr who are overseas in school, led brilliantly from the front as X-Roads enjoyed some success in their first season in the Premier Division.

“I’m happy for him because he’s been very committed and very dedicated,” El Karfa said of Brangman. who joined the team this season.

“He’s really coming along and today he proved that he’s getting there as a top player. He was in England for some time and is really a good addition for X-Roads, we’re happy to have him.

“We’ve had some additions and they are playing good roles in the team’s success right now. Jahmel Swan, Kahmori and Kashi are really stepping up to the plate.”

TEAMS

Boulevard: R Burchall — A Famous, N Smith, T Stovell, Z Stovell — K Smith, T Walker, K Davis, D Taylor (sub: T Butterfield, 62min), Y Darrell — J Samuels (S Fostin, 75).

X-Roads: D Cooper — A Burgess, K Wilkinson, J Furbert, O Williams (sub: L Simmons, 76) — T Daniels, J Swan, J Schroder — K Brangman, K Davis-Jones (sub: T Lowe, 81), R Beek (sub: A Heyliger, 71). Substitutes not used: J Burrows, K Talbot, M McGowan, J Gonzales.

Referee: A Francis.