Devonshire Cougars 1 PHC Zebras 1

(Cougars win 4-3 on penalties)

Devonshire Cougars’ blushes were spared after squandering numerous chances before surviving a penalty shoot-out to take their place in the Dudley Eve Trophy final.

Cougars led 1-0 at Bernard Park last night until PHC substitute Enrique Russell equalised in second-half stoppage time to send the tie to penalties where the men in green and gold ultimately prevailed.

Cougars substitute Mosais Mills scored the winning penalty after PHC defender Na’eem Griffith had his shot saved and substitute Keishon Bean struck the bar.

Although they made life difficult for themselves, having blown several gilt-edged chances, Cougars were the clearly better team on the night and deserved winners.

“It was a long night and we could’ve had the game done by the first half, and even in the second half,” Cougars coach Mark Mills told The Royal Gazette. “We had eight big chances that we didn’t put away; we have to correct that on the training ground.

“But at the same time the defensive intensity was awesome. It was a pleasure to watch and we are looking forward to the final.”

Cougars captain and midfield ace Zari Simmons was happy to see the hard work they have put in on the training ground pay off.

“We guys have been pushing hard, so it’s nice reward for the team,” he said.

“The key to our success was the camaraderie; we guys are together through the ups and down.”

As for his team’s suspect finishing, Simmons added: “We should’ve killed them off, but we are together. We conceded at the end, but we stayed composed and did the job in the end.”

PHC coach Cecoy Robinson made no excuses for his team’s defeat.

“We were completely poor, so there’s nothing else to say,” he said. “We were just poor tonight and Cougars deservedly won.

“We got a lifeline [with the Russell goal], but they deservedly went through.”

Cougars dominated the opening stanza and created ample chances to have sewn the game up by the interval.

PHC goalkeeper Quinaceo Hunt was called into action early to tip Charmari Burns’s close-range effort over the bar, while team-mate Domico Coddington blazed just over from the edge of the area.

The Zebras suffered an early setback when captain and defender Daren Usher went off with a suspected pulled hamstring.

Midfielder Arnezhe Astwood later spotted Cougars goalkeeper Chazz Knights off his line, but saw his shot from outside the box roll wide of the far post in one of his team’s rare attacks in the first half.

Cougars continued to play through their opponents with ease, but were again denied by poor finishing when striker Chae Brangman failed to capitalise on a breakaway.

PHC’s luck finally ran out when they failed to clear Coddington’s cross from the left side and Burns buried the loose ball inside the far bottom corner.

Brangman blew another glorious opportunity when he got on the end of a Coddington cross right in front of the goal, but was unable to direct his shot on target. Then Hunt was called upon to smother Coddington’s well-timed volley from outside of the area.

PHC switched their strategy to playing more direct football at the start of the second half, with striker De’Andre Wainwright bringing a save from Knights.

Cougars’ first chance of the second half fell to Coddington, who sliced his shot wide after being played through by defender Jahzi Wilson-Butterfield.

Hunt rushed off his line to thwart Cougars’ Kydon Brown, who had been released by fellow midfielder Mikel Thomas, and then got a boot to Brangman’s close-range effort in another one-on-one.

Cougars were forced to make an unscheduled substitution when defender Trey Tucker, who put in a solid shift at right back, went off after experiencing tightness in his calf.

Smith’s team had further chances to put the game away but Brangman volleyed just wide on a counter-attack and then struck the near post on another breakaway.

Cougars’ wastefulness came back to haunt when Russell buried fellow substitute Bean’s cross in stoppage time to drag the match into penalties.

However, Cougars would not be denied as they held their nerve when it mattered most in the shoot-out to finally get across the line.

SCORERS

Devonshire Cougars: Burns 41

PHC Zebras: Russell 90+2

TEAMS

Devonshire Cougars (4-2-3-1): C Knights 8 — J Wilson-Butterfield 7 (sub: J Brimmer, 82min), J Thomas 7, M Turner 7, T Tucker 7 (sub: M Mills, 67 7) — Zari Simmons 8, M Thomas 7 (sub: O Smith, 89) — D Coddington 6, K Browne 6, C Burns 8 — C Brangman 6. Substitutes not used: Zion Simmons, A Daniels, C Brangman.

PHC Zebras (3-5-2): Q Hunt 7 — D Smith-Lodge 5, N Griffith 5, D Usher (sub: J Richardson, 8 5) — K Abraham 5, S Burrows 5 (sub: A Nelson, 61 5), D Lodge 5 (sub: K Bean, 74), Z Lee 5 (sub: H Eve, 74 5), A Astwood 5 — C Eve 5, D Wainwright 5 (sub: E Russell, 61 7). Booked: D Lodge. Substitutes not used: K White, J Hassell.

Referee: S Maybury.