Devonshire Cougars 5 Young Men’s Social Club 0

Forwards Chae Brangman and Jayori Fox each scored twice as Devonshire Cougars tamed Young Men’s Social Club 5-0 in a one-sided Dudley Eve Trophy match at Bernard Park on Sunday night.

The green and gold dominated for large spells and were aided when young Social Club defender Kimshun Smith had to be withdrawn in the sixth minute with a thigh injury.

Brangman netted his first goal just two minutes later when Mikel Thomas fed a neat pass to Fox, who in turn played in Charmari Burns. Burns then drove a low cross which Brangman met at the near post to flash low past Social Club’s goalkeeper Ryan Evans.

Social Club looked dangerous on the few occasions they were able to string passes together, with both Malique Wilson and Jinairo Johnston missing good opportunities and they would soon be punished again, this time Burns firing home from a neat through ball by Fox.

Social Club were the architects of their own downfall for the third Cougars goal, which came in the 30th minute.

Social Club failed to play out from the back with substitute Callon Woolridge making a poor pass to force Evans into a hurried clearance. Fox pounced on it and found the net from about 25 yards to give the green and gold an unassailable advantage. They should have had another before half time, but Jazario Brimmer rattled the crossbar from distance.

Social Club were resigned to defeat for large periods of the second half, which followed a similar pattern to the first. They had players suffering with minor niggles as a result of a lack of fitness, thus failing to live with the tempo and intent that Cougars showcased on the ball.

This was brilliantly illustrated in the fourth goal, where Brimmer passed into Brangman, who rolled Z’Chai Jennings-Barnett and fired a powerful strike at Evans. The veteran keeper fumbled the ball, but Fox was quickest to slot home the rebound.

Social Club’s injury woes compounded a deflating performance, with Evans himself coming off injured with a foot injury and Quinn Simmons going between the posts. Brangman got his second and Cougars’ fifth when he tapped in another rebound after Kydan Browne’s rasping effort was parried by Simmons.

Brangman could have created a sixth goal after his nutmeg of Brighton Swan, but Browne headed his cross just wide.

Cougars’s win leaves them top of Group C with four points after they drew their opening game 2-2 with PHC last week. PHC will need to better Cougars’s score against Social Club on Saturday if they are to usurp them at the top of the standings.

GOALS

Devonshire Cougars: Brangman 7, 69; Fox 30, 57; Burns 19

TEAMS

Devonshire Cougars (4-2-3-1): Q Darrell 5 – L Millett 6 (sub: J Wilson-Butterfield, 70min), C Burns 6, J Thomas 6 (sub: N Carmichael, 70), T Tucker 5 – M Thomas 6, Zari Simmons 7 (sub: Zion Simmons, 70) – M Mills 6, J Brimmer 6 (sub: K Browne, 66 5), J Fox 7 (sub: M Turner, 66 5) – C Brangman 7; Substitutes not used: C Knight, A Daniels. Booked: Carmichael.

Young Men’s Social Club (4-2-3-1): R Evans 5 (sub: Q Simmons, 62 5) – M Rudo 5, K Smith 3 (sub: C Woolridge, 6 5), A Samuels 5, B Swan Jr 5 – A Matthews 6 (sub: K Rawlings, 87), Z Jennings-Barnett 5 – M Wilson 6, A Simons 6, J Johnson 5 – J Hardtman 5; Substitutes not used: R Trott, K Butterfield. Booked: Jennings-Barnett, Swan.

Referee: A Francis