Paget Lions 1 Devonshire Colts 4

Devonshire Colts ensured there will be three teams in contention for the Premier Division title on the final day of the season after a resounding win over Paget Lions in their make-up match at White Hill Field on Sunday.

Keino Burch, Senoj Mitchell, Elisha Darrell and Chemarl Henry were on target for the visitors, while Shakir Smith pulled one back for Paget.

The win resulted in Colts leapfrogging PHC into second, two points adrift of leaders Dandy Town with one round of matches to play in the 2025-26 campaign.

Colts coach Ray Jones was pleased to come away from the do-or-die clash with the vital points in the bag.

“The focus today was to keep Dandy Town honest all the way to the last day of the season,” he told The Royal Gazette.

“Football is a strange game and based on form we should have been OK but you have to play the game on the day, so all I told the boys was to make sure we’re still there on the last day and see how it pans out.”

While pleased to have achieved the desired outcome, Jones felt his team’s performance was not exactly up to par.

“The performance left a lot to be desired,” he said.

“We started well but lately we can’t seem to concentrate long enough and we allow the game to become erratic. Then all of a sudden, Paget got a sniff and it’s more of a battle than it should’ve been.

“But we accomplished the goal and I am happy with the three points to stay alive and we’ll see where it goes.”

Colts face relegated Young Men’s Social Club in their league finale at Police Field, while PHC host Boulevard, who have also taken the plunge back into the First Division. Leaders Town face the toughest game, away to Dudley Eve champions St George’s Colts at Wellington Oval on Easter Sunday.

Of the three title hopefuls, Colts are the only team capable of pulling off the league and FA Cup double as they also face holders North Village in the final of the latter competition at Flora Duffy Stadium on April 12.

Colts were slow getting out of the blocks as Paget pressed high up the pitch with the wind at their back and nearly capitalised during a good spell of possession when Xave Smith angled shot from outside the box struck the bar.

The close call jolted Colts into action with Paget goalkeeper Omar DeShield brilliantly tipping Jahzardae Samuels’ rasping shot from outside the area over the bar.

Burch made the breakthrough for the away side after dribbling past three defenders with some fancy footwork inside the box before firing the ball into the far top corner.

Mitchell then scored his fourteenth goal of the season from close range to stay in the hunt for the Golden Boot award after Paget failed to clear Zuhri Burgess’s corner to double the advantage.

Smith reduced the lead after thumping Xion Smith’s cross in off the underside of the bar just before the break.

Darrell restored Colts’ two-goal cushion after rising highest to nod Burgess’s corner in off the post to earn the latter a second assist of the match.

Shakir Smith nearly grabbed a second when he side-footed Paget captain Diaje Hart’s cross onto the post. Henry then put the game farther beyond the home side’s reach after running onto substitute Teniko Eve’s pass and angling a shot into the far top corner.

Scorers

Paget: S Smith 37

Devonshire Colts: Burch 17, Mitchell 34, Darrell 67, Henry 84

Teams

Paget (4-3-3): O DeShield 5 ― K Knights 6, J Carpenter 7, T Gibbons 6, K Simons 5 (sub: R DeShield, 46min 5) ―T Davis 6 (sub: K Hypolite, 78), D Hart 5, N Carpenter 5 ― X Smith 5 (sub: A Butterfield, 78), Xion Smith 7 (sub: K Richardson, 78), S Smith 7 (sub: J Warren-Smith, 85) Substitutes not used: O Tucker, K Leverock. Booked: J Carpenter, S Smith.

Devonshire Colts (4-1-4-1): J Mills-Furbert 6 ― M Isaac 5, D Davis 6, J Dublin 6, J Paynter 6 ― Z Burgess 7 ― C Henry 6 (sub: S Blair-Paynter, 86), J Samuels 7 (sub: R Whitter, 75 5), K Burch 6 (sub: T Eve, 58 6), E Darrell 6 ― S Mitchell 6. Substitutes not used: D Jackson, J Jackson, S Robinson, A Van Duyne

Referee: M Wyer