Two clinically taken goals by Trevin Ming catapulted Somerset Trojans to the top of the Premier Division at St John’s Field yesterday.

The Trojans captain struck twice within three minutes in the first half to condemn Dandy Town Hornets, who had led the standings at the start of the day, to a third loss of the season.

Temiko Wilson, a second-half substitute, pulled a goal back for Hornets, who were reduced to ten men when defender Jah-Quille Stowe received his marching orders for violent conduct.

Ming, who led his team by example, declined an offer to comment after guiding his team to a seventh league win of the season that gave the Friendship Trophy holders a one-point cushion at the top of the standings.

Instead, he let his superb play at both ends of the pitch and leadership qualities do the talking. The Hornets came out all guns blazing but were knocked out of their stride after Brendon Minors, the captain, limped off with a hamstring injury in the wake of being tackled from behind by Danvers Seymour Jr, the Trojans player-coach.

Damon Ming, the Hornets forward, took the ensuing free kick, but his effort was denied by Shaquille Bean, the Trojans goalkeeper, who tipped the shot over the bar.

Minors’s departure proved to be an ominous sign for the home side, as Ming converted twice in quick succession from set-pieces.

The Trojans centre back broke the deadlock in the thirteenth minute when he rose at the back post to powerfully head home Adolphus Lambert’s corner.

The goal clearly stung Town and before they knew what had hit them, Ming doubled Somerset’s lead, this time scrambling the ball over the line from close range after the home defence failed to clear Lambert’s searching free kick. Despite falling in arrears, Town enjoyed swaths of possession, but lacked cutting edge in the attacking third.

Kwonde Lathan, who replaced the injured Minors, had an attempted lob blocked by Bean, who raced off his line to clear the danger.

Leo Burgess, the Trojans striker, spurned a golden opportunity to kill the game off before the interval after blasting Trae Harvey’s precision cross over from close range.

Somerset “parked the bus” in their own half in the second half to protect their two-goal cushion at all cost.

This allowed Hornets to mount wave after wave of attacks in search of a breakthrough, which nearly arrived when Dennis Lister, the Trojans defender, sliced an attempted clearance just wide of his own net.

Angelo Simmons, Kyle Wade and substitute Daeshun Butterfield also came close to opening Town’s account with ambitious long-range efforts, while Lambert, the Trojans full back, positioned himself well at the near post to clear Simmons’s short pass to Wilson in the box.

By now, a Hornets goal seemed imminent, but their fortunes would take another turn for the worse in the 81st minute when Stowe was shown a red card for a reckless tackle on Burgess after the whistle had blown for an infraction seconds earlier.

The home side eventually cut the deficit when Wilson stabbed the ball home from a goalmouth scramble in the 88th minute. But it proved to be too little, too late as Trojans shut up shop to come away with a deserved win.

n Devonshire Cougars face title rivals North Village at Devonshire Recreation Club tonight in a rearranged game.