If at first you don?t succeed. . . then try, try and try again.

That?s exactly what North Village forward Keith Jennings did at Wellington Oval yesterday, firing in the decisive second half winner to propel the Reds to victory over PHC Zebras and through to a fifth FA Cup final in the last six years.

For Jennings, it was a far cry from a first half performance which saw the Reds danger man squander at least two golden opportunities before finally delivering the kiss of death which effectively brought Zebras? impressive cup run to a grinding halt ? along with any thoughts the men in pinstripes might have had of a classic final against Somerset Trojans.

And it was a goal more than worthy of an FA Cup semi-final as Jennings sped through the middle and held off two defenders before clinically lifting the ball over the head of an advancing Jay Smith to spur the Martonmere Cup champions to a second cup final of the season.

It was a match Village deserved to win as they maintained a slight edge over their opponents for long spells, coped better with a strong cross wind, kept their shape against a physical Zebras side and made the most when opportunity came knocking at their door.

Zebras, on the other hand, were left to rue chances they failed to convert into goals ? particularly during the final ten minutes of play when they ran their opponents ragged in search of the all-important equaliser.

But in the end it wasn?t to be, as Village put up the shutters and weathered the storm to record a first win over PHC this season ? and when it mattered most.

And apart from goal-hero Jennings, the only other person constantly thick among the action was referee Anthony Mouchette who had to reach into his pocket on eight occasions to dish out yellow cards.

?This is a very big win for us today because we definitely wanted to get to the FA Cup final,? Village player/coach Kentoine Jennings told afterwards.

?I think we played okay today. We didn?t want to concede any goals and that gave us a chance to win the game. And it feels good to finally get one over PHC. They deserved the two wins they got over us earlier but today we came out, hung in there, fought hard and we got what we deserved.?

Jennings then paid tribute to sibling and man-of-the-match Keith Jennings.

?Keith has been a doing a good job for us playing up front,? he added. ?Especially holding up the ball and giving the centres a lot of problems.

?I think the biggest problem he?s had this season is not scoring goals. But he finally came through for us today.?

Village?s win yesterday proved to a be family affair as brothers Kentoine, Kevin and Keith along with cousin Jemeiko all started while Tarik Jennings jumped off the bench in the second half and proved to be a real thorn in Zebras side ? particularly running down the right flank.

First half saw Village, playing with the wind at their backs, enjoy most of the possession but fail to cash in on their advantage. And while Zebras did create a few anxious moments in the Reds defence, for the most part it seemed as though the men in pinstripes were content to defend and wait for their turn coming forward with the wind advantage.

With the match only five minutes old, Omar Shakir should have done better after wriggling his way inside Village?s area in heavy traffic, but he hesitated to pull the trigger and the chance went begging. Antwon Russell then slipped a ball behind the Reds defence but an off-balance Kevin Lambe shot wide of the post.

Having been spared the blushes, Village replied at the opposite end with the returning Damon Edwards glancing a header wide before Smith positioned himself well to deny Jemieko Jennings from close range.

However, Village should have gone ahead when Tokia Russell sent Kentoine Jennings crashing to the canvass on the edge of Zebras 18 yard box. But instead of using the wind to his advantage, Keith Jennings ballooned the resulting free kick high and wide.

This ensured both teams entered the dressing room at the half scoreless.

When play restarted, it was Lambe?s turn to make a hash of things when his weak shot from point-blank range was easily cleared off the line by Kofi Dill before ?keeper Adrian Burrows recovered.

A deafening silence then crept into the Reds? camp at the sight of captain Ralph Bean Jr. limping off injured after taking a nasty knock from Corey Dowling who was booked.

But the presence of substitute Tarik Jennings on the left side gradually stretched the Zebras defence and he was unlucky not to score when his angled shot evaded the far post ? and the unsuspecting Keith Jennings.

Seconds later, however, there would be no denying Jennings as he was sent on his way toward goal by a through ball up the middle. And after fending off two Zebras defenders Jennings clipped his way into the hearts of Village supporters with what ultimately proved to be the winner.

But Village were not quite out of the woods yet, as Zebras quickly inserted Raynel (Manga) Lightbourne, Kenny Mills and youngster Cecoy Robinson into the fray in a last-ditch effort to salvage their cup pride.

Now defending at all costs, Village held their breath as PHC mounted wave after wave of attacks during the final moments with Lambe dragging a shot wide and Mills and Lightbourne constantly tormenting the Reds defence, but to avail.

?It?s disappointing to lose any game,? lamented Zebras coach Mark Wade.

?I thought we did well to get this far and it would have been a great reward for the players to get to the final.

?We really didn?t play with the intensity we required in the first half, although there was a marginal improvement in the second. We also had one or two chances that we didn?t take. And after the first 20 minutes or so you could see it was going to be a one- goal game. And we just needed to take our chances when they came.?

: J.Smith, J.Sealey, R.Richardson, T.Russell, C.Dowling, K.Lambe, C.Furbert, B.Bean, J.Raynor (C.Robinson, 62 mins), A.Russell (R.Lightbourne, 72 mins), O.Shakir (K.Mills, 62 mins): A.Burrows, S.Goater, K.Dill, Ken.Jennings, Kev.Jennings, M.Hansey, D.Edwards (J.Boyles, 85 mins), R.Bean Jr (T.Jennings, 57 mins), J.Jennings, K.Jennings, V.Tankard.: R.Richardson, C.Dowling, C.Furbert, B.Bean, C.Robinson (PHC); Kev.Jennings, R.Bean Jr, K.Jennings (Village).: K.Lambe (PHC); K.Jennings (Village): Anthony Mouchette.