The 2005-06 football season well and truly belonged to North Village.

Throughout the campaign they stood head and shoulders above the rest of the pile under rookie coach and former national team goalie Dwayne (Streaker) Adams.

The Reds walked off with four of six titles, including the first triple crown (League, Friendship and FA Cup) in eight years — the club’s second overall.

The two titles that eluded Village ended up in the hands of nearby rivals Dandy Town and Devonshire Cougars as urban clubs tightened their grip on domestic football.

Village kicked off their memorable season by edging Cougars 4-3 in a high-scoring Charity Cup Final at BAA Field to equal PHC Zebras’ record for the most consecutive wins (four) in the competition.

A year after eclipsing Somerset Trojans’ previous record for the most overall Martonmere Cup wins (seven), two-time defending champions Village were denied what would have been an unprecedented third straight triumph and ninth overall when Trojans defeated them in the semi—final at BAA in extra-time.

Village, though, rebounded in the Christmas Dudley Eve Champions Cup by reaching the final. But the Reds lost to cross-town rivals Cougars on penalties at Wellington Oval on New Year’s Day.

But in February and March, Village collected the first two jewels in the triple crown when they got by Dandy Town 2-1 in a tame Friendship Trophy Final at the National Sports Centre and then clinched a third Premier Division championship in six seasons, the club’s seventh overall.

Village then became the first club since Vasco da Gama to win the triple crown when they defeated Town 4-1 in extra- time in the FA Cup Final thanks to a superb hat-trick from teenager Keishen Bean.

Bean wrote his name in the history books by becoming the first player to net a treble in the prestigious final, and at age 17 the youngest player since Clyde Best in 1967 to be on a winning triple crown team.

Not surprisingly, Reds’ players walked off with the top awards during Bermuda Football Association’s season-ending prize presentation, Bean taking home the Young Player of the Year Award, midfielder Keith Jennings the season’s MVP Award and coach Adams, fittingly, the Coach of the Year Award.

Despite coming up empty handed in two cup finals, Dandy Town did not go without silverware as they handed Trojans a 1-0 loss at the Sports Centre last November to win a fifth overall Martonmere Cup title.

It was Somerset’s first appearance in a major domestic cup final since 1994-95 and Town’s fourth cup final win over Trojans.

November also saw PHC Zebras’ Sammy Swan come out of retirement at age 44 and Ireland Rangers’ coach Stevie Riley quit just before the Christmas break after a succession of losses.

In December, Cougars’ prolific striker Raymond Beach was slapped with another two years on what was initially thought to have been a one year ban, while former West Ham striker Clyde Best was awarded an OBE.

Senior referee Lyndon Raynor came out of brief retirement in January, while Cougars and Wolves celebrated Dudley Eve wins.

Ireland Rangers’ first season in top flight football continued its downward spiral when the West Enders were booted out of the Friendship Trophy for fielding an ineligible player.

It was also learned in the month of January that Cougars’ trio Raymond Beach, Heys Wolfe and Omar Butterfield — all banned for failing to turn up for a third mandatory national team drug scan — had been illegally suspended by Bermuda Council for Drug Free Sport.

Bermudian forward Damon Ming signed with Hayes Football Club in the UK while Cougars and national team midfielders Domico Coddington and Kwame Steede underwent trials in the US with Atlanta Silverbacks.

Back on the local front, East claimed three of the four Bermuda School Sports Federation All-Star School titles at a windswept National Sports Centre.

First Division X Roads qualified for the Shield Final, the club’s biggest achievement so far.

In February former PHC dangerman Marischal (Mop) Astwood was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s Disease, Ireland Rangers became the first Premier Division club to be relegated, while New England Revolution, Jamaica’s Under-23 national team and LD Alauelense all toured Bermuda.

Bermuda also played host to a first CONCACAF Club Championship match in a decade when the Revs faced off against Alauelense in a match that ended in a scoreless draw. The Revs defeated Bermuda 3-0 without Bermudian striker Khano Smith who sat out the entire tour because of a knee injury.

Cougars striker Raymond Beach had his ban lifted, several weeks after team-mates Omar Butterfield and Heys Wolfe were also allowed to resume playing at the domestic level.

Paget Lions made history by clinching promotion to the top tier for the first time, while Hamilton Parish advanced to the FA Cup quarter-finals for second straight year.

March saw St.David’s Warriors clinch promotion while Police were called to Bernard Park after machete wielding thugs attempted to ambush celebrating Paget Lions supporters in the car park.

Paget then completed the First Division double when they beat X Roads on penalties in the Shield Final.

PHC Zebras’ coach Mark Wade resigned and Hamilton Parish advanced to a second straight FA Cup semi-final.

Dandy Town defeated Cougars to advance to their seventh FA Cup Final which Village eventually won to move level with Zebras and Trojans for the competition’s most wins.

Local football lost Larry Jennings (North Village), James Smith (Wellington Rovers), Bermuda Referees Association executive Aldwyn Savery and BFA Honorary president Reuben Alias, who all passed away in 2006.

Shaun Goater officially retired from the English game in May after helping Southend United to win their division title, while his good friend, former Coventry City striker Kyle Lightbourne, was appointed new coach of PHC Zebras.

June saw Goater and his Southend United team-mates tour the Island where the top striker was honoured by Cabinet Ministers and paraded around the streets of Hamilton.

In September, Goater received the green light from United Soccer League (USL) officials to enter a local expansion team in the American pro league, Bermuda’s senior national team advanced to the second round of the Digicel Cup and Town defeated Village 3-2 to win a first Charity Cup in five years at BAA Field.