Somerset Eagles 1 Somerset Trojans 2

It wasn’t one of their best performances of the season but Somerset Trojans dug deep to come-from-behind and edge Somerset Eagles by the odd goal in their west-end derby played at White Hill Field on Monday.

Two second half goals cancelled out the Eagles’s early opener and secured all three points for the visitors, much to the delight of a relieved Trojans Coach, Jomar Wilkinson.

“We definitely got off to a slow start,” stated Coach Wilkinson. “That early goal put us on the back foot but I like the reaction of my team to come from 1-0 down. We showed character.”

“It wasn’t our best game as we knew it was a rivalry and sometimes rivalries don’t bring out your best. At the end of the day, I applaud the team for showing determination and earning the three points,” Wilkinson said.

Despite their low position in the standings, the home team took the game to their visitors and scored as early as the fourth minute.

Skipper Anwar Telford released Shakir Smith down the left flank and his square pass found Rayquan Woodley-Smith at the back post for an easy tap-in.

Veteran midfielder Damon Ming was instrumental in most of the Trojans’s attacks.

Damon Swan got onto the end of one of his corners but headed over the crossbar when well positioned.

The Eagles should have doubled their lead deep in the first half when they were awarded a penalty.

Shakir Smith ran onto a through ball and was able to get a shot off before being brought down by Trojans’s goalkeeper, Jade Morrissey.

The keeper would redeem himself by diving full length to his right to deny Smith’s spot kick. This save would prove crucial, as the Trojans went into the break with only a one-goal deficit.

They would get the equaliser early in the second half when Jeze Butterfield dribbled in and was brought down at the edge of the Eagles’s penalty area.

Danger man Ming stepped up and planted his free kick over the Eagles’s wall and into the top corner, leaving goalkeeper Jermaine Rumley stranded.

The Trojans started to run at Eagles as fitness began to take its toll.

Rumley would gift the Trojans what proved to be the winner, when he fumbled a weak cross from Jaden Ratteray-Smith with Butterfield being first to react to the loose ball, knocking it into the back of the net.

The Eagles created an anxious moment in stoppage time when Smith was put through on an angle only to have his goal-bound shot blocked by keeper Morrissey to preserve the three points for the Trojans.

SCORERS

Somerset Eagles: R Woodley-Smith 4

Somerset Trojans: D Ming 48, J Butterfield 66

TEAMS

Somerset Eagles (4-1-4-1) – J Rumley 4 ‒ M Iris Simmons 5, J Rogers 5, K Harrison 5, K Durrant 5 ‒ D Joell 5 ‒ S Smith 6, A Telford 5, E Fubler 5, R Woodley-Smith 6 ‒ D Simmons 5 (sub: D Arruda 66, 5). Substitutes not used: S James, J Roberts. Booked: J Rogers, D Simmons, K Durrant.

Somerset Trojans (4-2-3-1) ‒ J Morrissey 6 ‒ M Joell 5 (sub: R Burrows 77), T Harris 5, M Nisbett-Tankard 5, M Henschke 5 ‒ D Swan 5, (sub: J Warner 53, 4), D Brangman 5 (sub: A Douglas 77) ‒ J Butterfield 6, J Ratteray-Smith 6, D Ming 7 ‒ N Rego 5 (sub: J Corday 66, 5). Substitutes not used: K Brangman. Booked: D Ming, A Douglas.

Referee: D Jackson