Dandy Town 3 North Village 1

Dandy Town and PHC Zebras clinched the remaining two Dudley Eve Trophy semi-final spots after Hornets got the better of North Village at PHC Field on Saturday night.

Hornets prevailed on strikes from Jahkari Furbert and substitutes Kamali Davis and Enrique Swan, while Village replied through Jalen Harvey.

The result means Town advance to the next round as Group A winners, while Zebras pipped Village and Devonshire Cougars for the remaining semi-final spot on goal difference as the best runner-up among the three groups.

Hornets captain Tomiko Goater was happy to see his team come out on top to book their spot in the last four.

“We always knew it was going to be a fight and we had our objectives. We looked at every game as a final and focused on what’s in front of us,” he told The Royal Gazette.

“I am very proud of the boys; they are definitely showing some determination and this is what champions are. We know how to get through games.

Town were thoroughly deserving of their victory as they took their chances well and kept their shape throughout an entertaining affair.

Village created the first chance of the match when Che’Kai Caisey had a crisp shot turned around the post by Town stopper Jaiden Manders.

Town were awarded a free- kick in a dangerous area when Blaiz Hall was tripped on the edge of the box, but Nizigh Spence curled the ball just over the bar.

Village then won a free kick of their own just outside the area after Caisey went down under a challenge but Manders was equal to the task as he tipped Knory Scott’s effort over the bar.

Town finally broke the deadlock via of a composed finish by Furbert. Edry Moore won the ball just inside Village’s half and picked out David Jones. Jones then sent Furbert clear on goal with a delightful through pass which he latter took into his stride before firing under onrushing Village goalkeeper, captain Detre Bell.

Town were forced to make an unscheduled substitution moments later when Hall went off with a suspected ankle injury.

Village threatened again when Kashe Hall got in behind but was thwarted by Manders, who made himself big to block the effort from point-blank range, and then had an appeal for a penalty fall in deaf ears after Owen Botelho went down under a challenge from Yeferson Ramirez in the box.

Good defending by Moore denied Scott a free look at goal from close range while at the other end Jones squandered a good opportunity after being sent clear on goal by Goater's pass.

Goater brought off another save by Bell early in the second half as Hornets went in search of more goals.

Harvey had a shot tipped over by Manders but scored from the resulting corner to bring the teams level. Hornets failed to clear Botelho’s corner and Harvey buried the loose ball into the net in a goalmouth scramble.

The goal galvanised Village, who piled on the pressure in search of more goals with Judah Chapman having a shot blocked and Botelho firing into the side netting from a tight angle after being played through.

After absorbing some pressure, Town began creating more chances as Village lost their shape at the back, with Zachary Hannay fizzing a shot wide from outside the box.

Town’s deputising coach Seion Darrell rolled the dice just past the hour mark when he replaced goalscorer Furbert with Davis. The tactical ploy quickly paid off as Davis lofted the ball over Bell after being released by Jones. to restore Town’s lead three minutes after coming onto the pitch

Davis appeared to be standing in an offside position but the goal was allowed to stand, much to the frustration of the Village bench.

Village pressed on but were let down by poor finishing, which came back to haunt them when substitute Swan doubled Hornets’ advantage to put the match beyond reach. Jones ran into space down the right side and pulled the ball back across goal to leave Swan with a simple tap in.

Scorers

Dandy Town: Furbert 11, Davis, 65, Swan 76

North Village: Harvey, 53

Dandy Town: J Manders — Y Ramirez, T Goater, D Jones Jr, J Robinson, E Moore, B Hall, N Spence, Z Hannay, J Furbert, T Manders. Substitutes: A Harvey, E Swan, T Gibbons, K Davis, S Smith

North Village: D Bell — S Spence, T Manders, K Hall, C Caisey, J Chapman, K Jarrison, O Botelho, K Devon Scott, J Smith- DeShields, J Harvey. Substitutes: M Paynter, T Tucker, J Hayward, Jabari Hayward, T Ming, K Knights

Referee: D Jackson