Boulevard 0 Devonshire Colts 2

(after extra time)

History was made at the National Sports Centre (NSC) yesterday as Devonshire Colts became the first First Division club to lift the FA Cup.

Two strikes from the boots of Willis Ming and Aljame Zuill gave Colts a deserved victory over Premier Division rivals Boulevard who came undone after falling behind in the first period of extra-time.

Ming struck a telling blow with a clinical low drive inside the far upright to force his team's opponents on the back foot at a crucial stage of the match before the reliable Zuill crushed all Blazers' hopes with an insurance strike in the final minute of extra-time.

Colts' historical afternoon, however, was tarnished by the loss of 'keeper Dyke Lawrence and defender Geron Trott both to injuries and the sending off of four players during a wild 30 minutes of added time.

Devonshire forward Clevon Hill was the first player ejected after receiving a second yellow card for a clumsy tackle minutes after his team had grabbed the lead. But before Blazers could capitalise on their numerical advantage, defender John Payne also received a second yellow card for an ill-advised late challenge.

The match then threatened to spiral out of control when Boulevard captain Shaki Crockwell ran several yards and deliberately head butted opposite number Joseph Butterfield who received a nasty cut to the mouth.

Both players were shown the red card, but not before Blazers' 'keeper Nathan Darrell had to be restrained by team-mates from confronting referee Lyndon Raynor.

Clearly disappointed by the final result, with the exception of senior members Jahmah Samuels and Dwight Warren the remainder of Boulevard's team abstained from the post-match trophy presentation.

But this didn't dampen Colts' spirits in the least as players, team officials and fans wildly celebrated the club's historical treble consisting of First Division title, Shield and the coveted FA Cup.

"I can't really describe what has happened here today. This is something we talked about during the pre-season. We knew we were coming back up (to the Premier Division), and so we wanted to use the FA Cup to test ourselves against Premier teams. But this is just unbelievable," commented jubilant Colts coach Ray Jones.

Undaunted by their heavily favoured rivals, Colts utilised the full width of the 'carpet' and defended and attacked with more purpose.

"We wanted to stretch them and as the game wore on Boulevard started to wear down and I think in the end they were surprised by how organised we were defensively and how quickly we broke on offence," Jones said.

With neither team able to break the deadlock, it finally took a gem of a goal from Ming to separate the two sides.

"I've been asking Ming for two seasons to show Bermuda what he can do. He has a wonderful shot but never uses it. But I'm just glad today he finally decided to use it," Jones said.

During one of Colts' probing runs forward, a rebound fell perfectly for Ming who stroked the ball into the far corner without breaking stride.

"He struck the ball with good technique, and it just nestled into the back of the net," Jones added.

It was then left to Zuill to put the match beyond doubt with a simple tap-in after Blazers were caught short at the back during a counter-attack.

"We lost our 'keeper and also our skipper but we also battled to the end and now we are triumphant," Jones said.

Boulevard had only themselves to blame as they created ample scoring opportunities to settle this cup final in regulation.

While Colts opted for a more possessive approach, Blazers relied upon the counter-attack with pacy forwards Crockwell and Angelo Simmons causing plenty of anxious moments in front of goal.

Both players had chances to score late in regulation, Crockwell's acute-angled shot striking the upright while Simmons blasted over from six yards.

Simmons also had a headed goal disallowed for offside, substitute Lamaul Crofton volleyed over from the penalty spot and then Crockwell's point blank effort was blocked by Colts substitute 'keeper Kevin Bean. Bean was a late second-half replacement for Lawrence who received a nasty blow to the mouth under heavy pressure in the goalmouth and had to be taken to hospital for treatment.

Colts' best chances in regular time arrived in the first half when Hill shot over with only 'keeper Darrell to contend with. Darrell then bravely saved at the feet of Zuill as he shaped up to shoot from the top of the box.

"Obviously we wanted to be on the winning side. But Colts showed a lot of character and the best team won," Blazers' stalwart Dwight Warren lamented.

"We just came out on the wrong end of the stick. It was Colts' day, and congratulations to them on their victory."

Boulevard: N.Darrell, J.Payne, J.Samuels, P.Dill, C.Matthews, D.Warren (L.Crofton, 76 mins), C.Simmons, D.Taylor (R.Burgess, 84 mins), C.Trott, A.Simmons (T.Walker, 108 mins), S.Crockwell (capt).

Devonshire Colts: D.Lawrence (K.Bean, 60 mins), G.Trott (R.Purnell, 45 mins), J.Butterfield (capt), S.Burgess, K.Simpson, M.Williams, V.Ball, C.Hill, L.Symonds (D.Williams, 95 mins), A.Zuill, W.Ming.

Yellow card: C.Simmons (Boulevard); K.Simpson (Colts)

Red cards: J.Payne, S.Crockwell (Boulevard); J.Butterfield, C.Hill (Colts)

Men of the match: J.Samuels (Boulevard); K.Simpson (Colts).

Referee: Lyndon Raynor.