For football connoisseurs with a sensitive palate this was hardly an affair to savour.

But for those with steel-lined stomachs there was plenty of hard stuff here to knock back and enjoy.

Two sides with a passion for fast and furious football, and a liking for the high ball, are not likely to serve up something pretty.

So it proved at PHC Stadium yesterday.

Vasco and PHC went at each other's throats from the moment referee Frank Drayton got play underway.

And by the time he blew the final whistle both sides should have helped themselves to a feast of goals.

On balance, Vasco should have grabbed the lion's share of them. But woeful finishing put paid to that.

As it was they had to content themselves with a superb 25-yard goal from their tireless striker Irving Burgess.

He struck in the 25th minute after Karl Roberts passed to him a few yards from the half-way line.

Without waiting to control the ball, Burgess used his right foot to smash it into the left hand corner of the PHC net, despite a despairing lunge from Edward Williams.

A thrilled Burgess immediately ran to his bench and lapped up the crowd's applause while his team-mates mobbed him.

It was a lead Vasco richly deserved as Mark Ray and Kentoine Jennings ensured their team had the better of things in midfield.

The absence of experienced defender Mike Hill -- who picked up a leg injury in PHC's 3-1 beating of BAA last week -- left the Zebras extremely vulnerable at the back.

Nine minutes after Burgess's strike Dwight Basden nearly gave Vasco a 2-0 cushion.

But he was denied by a combination of Williams and the woodwork.

Williams managed to get a hand to Basden's 12 yard-shot and push it against the crossbar, and, fortunately for him, out of harm's way.

In the 40th minute, however, disaster struck for Vasco, and their stalwart defender Donovan Livingston in particular.

Livingston brought down PHC's Sheridan Ming a good two feet inside the penalty area, leaving Drayton no option but to point to the spot.

It was left to Winston Trott to tie matters up. He did so with impressive ease, strolling up to knock the ball low to the right of Vasco's 'keeper Keenan Tucker.

The first half ended with Basden clutching his shins in agony following another scything tackle.

Just five minutes after the restart Burgess missed out on a superb chance to double his goal tally.

With Williams off his line and Burgess bearing down on him, the striker's close-range shot clipped the crossbar.

Two minutes later it was midfielder Ray who drew groans of despair from Vasco's supporters.

Ray found himself in an excellent scoring position at the foot of Williams' left post.

Instead of using his left foot, he tried to angle the ball home with his right, allowing Williams time to smother the shot.

PHC had their chances too, with Trott coming close to emulating Burgess's effort when he sent a dipping 30-yard shot towards Tucker's goal.

The shot had goal written on it, but Tucker had other ideas and pulled off a brilliant save.

Vasco: K.Tucker, E.Richardson, D.Livingston, K.Roberts, K.Jennings, M.Ray, I.Burgess, D.Basden (K.Dill, 77 mins), S.Gibbons, W.Burgess, D.Stapley (D.Thomas).

PHC: E.Williams, S.Trott, R.Lewis, B.Simons, M.Wade, D.Francis, G.Simmons (A.Stovell, 66 mins), S.Ming (K.Burt, 77 mins), W.Trott, S.Swan, S.Simons.

Men of the match: Irving Burgess (Vasco); Winston Trott (PHC).