Dandy Town 1 PHC Zebras 2

Defender Daren Usher was an unlikely hero for PHC at St John’s Field, notching a late winner to keep the Zebras on top of the Premier Division and unbeaten going into the new year.

Usher pushed forward down the right side and exchanged passes with another defender, Na’eem Griffith, before driving his shot into the near post from the right corner of the box. It was a goal not totally unexpected, as the visiting side had the momentum in the second half and threatened to turn the game around after going behind to an early goal.

Angelo Simmons, the Town captain, gave the league champions the perfect start when he broke the deadlock in the fifth minute. A long ball out of the Town half by Drewonde Bascome sent Simmons through down the left side, before he cut in on defender Mikey Lambe and drove the ball past Stefan Dill in the PHC goal. It was Simmons’s seventh goal in past three games after his four goal-effort last weekend against Flanagan’s Onions.

“In a way, I’m glad they scored first because that helps build the team, to see them fight back, stay composed and keep believing, and they did all of that,” Scott Morton, the PHC coach, said. “It was a wake-up call about being more disciplined as far as letting in early goals, and they responded perfectly.”

PHC’s best chance did not come until the 22nd minute, when Tre Ming lifted a left-footed shot over the crossbar from just inside the penalty area. Four minutes later, they equalised when Rakeem DeShields poked the ball home at the far post after the Town defence failed to clear its line from a prolonged scramble.

Simmons continued to cause the PHC defence problems with his pace, and a few minutes later almost had a second goal after running on to a ball over the PHC defence by Damon Ming and outpacing Griffith before his lob over the goalkeeper came back off the bar.

PHC had a good chance to take the lead themselves just before the half when a long ball by Cecoy Robinson sent Ming into the box, but his shot was blocked by the legs of goalkeeper Ajai Daniels.

Town introduced Tomiko Goater for Bascome at the start of the second half, but it was PHC who looked the more threatening. They lost DeShields to a foot injury late in the game after a tackle by K’wonde Lathan, which earned the Town defender a yellow card.

The result leaves Town in the bottom two going into the Christmas break, but coach Jomar Wilkinson vows his team will continue fighting to turn things around.

“Our game plan was spot on and it was unfortunate to lose,” he said. “We deserved at least a point. There are positives we can take from this game.

“This isn’t the end for us; we have a fight on our hands, but we are definitely capable.”

The match at St John’s Field was the first function hosted by Western Stars Sports Club since the shooting murder of Deshaun Berkley on club premises in the early hours of last Thursday.

Town wore black armbands and the teams observed a minute’s silence before kick-off.

SCORERS

Dandy Town

Simmons 5

PHC Zebras

DeShields 26, Usher 89

TEAMS

Dandy Town (4-5-1): A Daniels — J Stowe, K Lathan, K Wade, K Tucker — D Bascome (sub: T Goater, 46min), J Swan, A Lewis (sub: J Richardson-Martin, 73), K Steede (sub: S Darrell, 86), D Ming — A Simmons. Substitutes not used: E Blankendal, T Wilson, D Williams. Booked: Lathan.

PHC (4-4-2): S Dill — D Usher, N Griffith, M Lambe, K Abraham — T Ming, M Waldron, M Warren, C Robinson — R DeShields (sub: K Bean, 85), T Hall. Substitutes not used: S Trott, D Joell, K Griffith, D Smith-Lightbourne, J Simmons, D Davis. Booked: Hall.

Referee: L Raynor.