A sparse crowd at PHC stadium yesterday witnessed a triumphant return to the First Division for Vasco da Gama as they mauled a game, but obviously inferior, St. David's outfit 5-2.

New signings Irving Burgess and Voorhees Astwood paid immediate dividends for the home side, with the former netting twice during his debut performance, while the latter struck paydirt once in the first half. Remaining goals came from Derek Thomas and an own goal.

For St. David's, captain Garic Swainson and Craig Laws each garnered scores, but their efforts were not nearly enough to derail Vasco's plans for a win.

Both sides sported a new look from last season. Vasco had new man Keenan Tucker in goal, Dennis Brown anchoring the middle of defence and Astwood and Burgess taking up positions in midfield and up front respectively.

Meanwhile, St. David's employed an almost totally revamped line-up with just three regulars from the previous year returning.

The match started at a frenetic pace and never slowed as each looked to get their 1993-94 campaign off on a good note.

Vasco drew first blood when a goalkeeping blunder by Dwayne Astwood allowed Voorhees Astwood in to score after seven minutes.

Burgess had dispossessed his defender on the left side and centred to Astwood whose initial touch amounted to a tame back-pass to the 'keeper, but the latter somehow allowed the ball to slip from his grasp and the former Dandy Town skipper followed up to tap into an empty net.

The lead was short-lived as, 10 minutes later, a right-wing corner had Swainson watch his initial header blocked off the line by defender Carl Ainscough, but blast home the rebound.

A scant minute elapsed before Vasco retook the lead through Thomas on the right edge of the penalty area. He delicately looped a ball over Astwood into the left corner.

St. David's found themselves further in arrears in the 29th minute when a fine solo effort by Burgess had him turn two defenders on the left side before curling a shot from an angle on the right past a hapless Astwood.

Poor defending by centre-back Donovan Livingston allowed the Islanders to draw back to within a single goal, with Craig Laws the beneficiary, tallying his first goal of the season from close range.

The score stood 3-2 at the interval, but it took just 10 minutes following the restart for Vasco to restore the two-goal advantage, as the nightmare for Astwood in goal continued.

Astwood rushed out to clear a long through-ball off the boot of Vasco's Karl Roberts, only to completely miskick, leaving Burgess with the simplest of tasks, side-footing into an empty net.

The rout was completed when defender Chuck Waldron stuck a foot out to a Ricky Mallory cross from the left and then watched in horror as it deflected past his dumbfounded 'keeper.

Vasco: K.Tucker; E.Richardson (C.Lloyd, 84 mins), D.Livingston, D.Brown, C.Ainscough; P.Towlson, K.Roberts (L.Durham, 60 mins), V.Astwood, D.Thomas; R.Mallory, I.Burgess.

St. David's: D.Astwood; D.Hollis, C.Waldron, G.Swainson, S.Pitcher; J.Laws, M.Pimental (J.Pitcher, 72 mins), T.Winkelman; A.Darrell, C.Laws (T.Weeks, 56 mins), M.Dill.

Referee: Frank Drayton.

Men of the match: Derek Thomas (Vasco); Maxwell Dill (St. David's).

IRVING BURGESS -- Scored on Vasco debut.