Devonshire Colts 4 Devonshire Cougars 3

Devonshire Colts emerged with a hard-fought, full share of the spoils from a pulsating seven-goal thriller against neighbours Devonshire Cougars at Police Field on Sunday — a derby that more than lived up to its billing.

In a match neither team deserved to lose, the Halloween kids bagged a three-point treat despite surrendering a two-goal second-half advantage.

Harsh intent was made known as early as the first minute when left-back Dante Scraders delivered a crunching tackle to Shane Robinson, and from there the two sides battled tooth and nail, keeping officials on and off the pitch on alert.

The Colts answered the Cougars' battle cry most clearly by scoring in the seventh minute.

Holding midfielder Liam Evans was dispossessed at the edge of his own third by Chemarl Henry. Henry burst into the penalty area, shrugged off two defenders and drew goalkeeper Daniel Johnson before passing left to an unmarked Senoj Mitchell, who accepted the simple task of side-footing into an exposed goal.

Ten minutes later, Jahzarde Samuels squandered a chance to double the lead after being sent clear up the middle by a Mitchell pass. With Johnson again in a vulnerable position, Samuels hesitated, allowing Chamari Burns to recover and avert the danger.

Cougars, though, were not without opportunity, as both Drewonde Bascome and Justin Bell took turns forcing Colts’ goalkeeper Jaden Mills-Furbert into lengthy dives to prevent goals midway through the half.

For all the attacking fervour both combatants displayed, a single strike seemed a paltry reward for 45 minutes of effort.

However, the second half produced a scoring bonanza as the pendulum swung one way then the other, with the result in doubt until the final whistle sounded.

Mitchell almost notched his second during Colts’ first second-half foray; Johnson barely smothered his cheeky close-range flick.

Nevertheless, Johnson was helpless against Elisha Darrell in the 52nd minute as the lanky centre-back rose high at the back post to head home a well-flighted Rahzir Jones free-kick.

What appeared to be insurance became liability as the goal, along with the double substitution in the 62nd minute which introduced Chae Brangman and Christian Albuoy, ignited the away side.

Within five minutes, the Albuoy move produced dividends. After having his first effort from distance inadvertently blocked by Brangman, Albuoy refused to be denied, resetting and blasting an 18-yard thunderbolt past a despairing Mills-Furbert.

Barely had the Colts recovered when veteran Domico Coddington’s blazing run into the danger zone forced San-Tze Burgess into a handball, earning the defender a yellow card and the Cougars a penalty, which Bascome expertly converted.

The stage was set for a thunderous finish, with the Cougars first to unleash another bolt of lightning; again authored by Coddington.

A lacklustre clearance by the Colts defence saw the ball land at the feet of Bascome in midfield and he wasted no time pumping to Coddington, who ghosted past two defenders on a sprawling right-to-left run that ended with a thumping drive into the low, left corner.

The Cougars’ ascendancy didn’t last as the Colts found a second wind.

A counter-attack gave substitute Haile Eve space on the left flank and his cross found Robinson at the back post, the full-back making up for his earlier gaffe to force the ball inside the post.

With full-time beckoning, both teams hankered for a winner and the home side succeeded two minutes into added time.

Diego Richardson, an earlier substitute, did the job, his run from deep ending as he powered another Eve cross home.

Afterwards, the captains from each team reflected on a tough match between bitter rivals.

“It was good to get the win on my birthday,” said Colts’ skipper Jones, appearing relieved. “It's a derby game. This is how derbies go. It's thrilling, end to end.

“I think it's not really about form coming into the game. It's just who wins and gets some more bragging rights.

“The game took its turns. It went back and forth. We started in the ascendancy. We probably got a bit too comfortable, a bit too relaxed, which allowed them to come back in the game and take the lead.

“But we showed what's on the bench and we displayed a lot of character in coming back to equalise and win the game with seconds to go.”

For Zari Simmons of Cougars, the ending was deeply disappointing.

“It's hard to describe the feeling right now, losing to Colts on Derby day,” said Simmons, clearly gutted by the defeat. “It’s always a bitter feeling to lose, especially today.

“It’s hard to take. We just had a lapse of concentration, because we were in it.

“Yes, it was a good game of football for the neutral, but as a player, it was poor because the goals we conceded were poor today. We rightfully lost because we didn't stay concentrated for 90 minutes.”

The result allowed Devonshire Colts to move from fourth to third via goal difference over North Village, who dropped from second to fourth. The Cougars barely held on to sixth over Paget, again due to a superior goal difference.

SCORERS

Devonshire Colts: Mitchell 7, Darrell 52, Robinson 90, Richardson 90+2.

Devonshire Cougars: Albuoy 67, Bascome 70, Coddington 75.

TEAMS

Devonshire Colts: J Mills-Furbert; S Burgess, E Darrell, D Jackson, S Robinson; Z Burgess, J Greaves, R Jones; J Samuells; S Mitchell, C Henry. Substitutes: S Blair-Paynteer, K Burch, D Davis, H Eve, D Richardson, C Thompson, R Whitter, A VanDuyne.

Devonshire Cougars: D Johnson; D Scraders, J Thomas, D Cox, C Burns; Zuri Simmons, L Evans, D Bascome; D Coddington, S Velassie-Paul, J Bell. Substitutes: J Darrell, Zion Simmons, Q Lambert, C Albuoy, C Brangman, K Bean.

Referee: D Jackson.