North Village 2 Paget 1

North Village coach Calvin Dill Jr has expressed his criticism over the Dudley Eve Trophy format after his side won this group match but failed to progress to the semi-finals.

Village won two of their three matches, but with the victory over Boulevard not counting because that team finished bottom of the four-team group, they missed out on grabbing the spot reserved for the best runners-up to PHC.

“If I have the format right, Village do not advance despite us winning two games and securing six points,” Dill said.

“I would suggest that the BFA in future considers dividing the ten teams into two groups of five, let them play each other and the two top teams go through into the next round.”

A last-minute goal from Jalen Harvey separated Village and Paget at PHC Field on Saturday night, with Dill praising his team for their never-say-die attitude.

“I want to thank my team for showing character tonight to play until the very end,” Dill said. “There was some bruising tackles out there but we survived.”

Village started the match the more confident of the two teams with Che’kai Caisey crossing for Harvey to volley into the side netting from close range.

Beaten finalists in this competition last year, Paget took a while to settle but nearly scored when captain Diaje Hart beat his marker to cross from the left before Shakir Smith mistimed his shot from close range to leave the game scoreless.

Hart rattled the crossbar from Kion Knights’s inch-perfect cross just after the half-hour mark and, to add insult to injury, Village would go straight down the other end to score.

Paget conceded a free kick in the centre of the field and the ball was floated into the centre of the penalty area, where it glanced off defender Julian Carpenter’s head and over goalkeeper Shaquille Bean, who was off his line.

Paget pressed hard at the start of the second half and found the equaliser they deserved when Michael Emery dribbled inside the box only for defender Quinn Outerbridge to bring him down from behind. Hart sent Village goalkeeper, captain Detre Bell the wrong way with his spot kick to level the scores.

Momentum was with the Lions and they continued to press the Village defence. Tristan Davis’s cross went just beyond the outstretched boot of Smith before Hart’s goalbound effort was blocked for a corner. Bell then had to make a point-blank save to keep out Michael Emery as Paget sustained the pressure.

But with time ticking down and the match looking destined for a draw, Village scored on the counterattack when Bell played a long ball forward to substitute Tahki Tucker. His one-touch pass found Harvey running through and he nutmegged the advancing Bean to score the winner.

Teams

North Village (4-2-3-1): D Bell 7— K Knights 6 (sub: Jabri Hayward, 67min 5), Q Outerbridge 5, R Sampson 5 (sub:K Cann, 67 5), J Harvey 7 — T Williams 6, L Steede 5 — C Caisey 6 (sub: M Paynter, 61 5) I Simmons 5, T Outerbridge 5 (sub: Jabari Hayward, 76) — P Smith 5 (sub: T Tucker, 67 6). Substitutes not used: K Haarrison.

Paget (4-2-3-1): S Bean 6 — D Frost 6, J Carpenter 6, D Rawlins 6, K Knights 6 (sub: M Basden, 81) — A Lee 5 (sub: P Castle, 71), D Dill 5 — D Hart 6, T Davis 6 (sub: K Leverock, 71), M Emery 6 (sub: N Armstrong, 81) — S Smith 6. Substitutes not used: K Simons, A Butterfield. Booked: Emery

Referee: D Jackson

Scorers

North Village: Carpenter og 33, Harvey 89

Paget: Hart 48 pen