<Bz31>Cougars win takes them top
Devonshire Cougars 4St. David’s 1
First half goals at the Den from Mark Smith and captain Steede via a penalty gave the Big Cats a comfortable lead at the half, though a strike right at the start of the second 45 minutes from St. David’s’ Jamell Lovell briefly stoked the East Enders hopes of a revival.
But the home side proved to have too much class in all parts of a pitch for a struggling St. David’s side who have looked horribly out of place in top-flight football this season, as first Kori Goddart from the penalty spot and then a Lamont Brangman strike from close range took Cougars into an unassailable lead.
With things being so tight at the top heading in to the two last games of the season, Cougars knew that any surprise slip up in last night’s game would seriously undermine their title ambitions.
But rather than be affected by nerves, the home side came out firing on all cylinders, as St. David’s found themselves pinned deep in side their own half and forced to defend in numbers with the Cougars forwards bearing down menacingly on George O’Brien jr’s goal.
St. David’s enjoyed one or two isolated attacks, but in general found themselves consistently on the back foot.
Cougars’ relentless pressure finally told after 34 minutes, when a wonderfully-struck Smith free kick from 25 yards had the measure of O’Brien, whose dive and attempt at a save saw him only get a small touch on the ball as it flew past him and into the net.
Only a few minutes later, Steede stepped up to cooly convert a penalty after St. David’s’ Otis Minors was deemed guilty of committing a foul in his own penalty box.
Determined to go down fighting, Lovell’s goal after the break breathed some renewed life and vigour into the league’s bottom-placed team.
But it wasn’t to be enough as Cougars hit back twice to put the pressure squarely on North Village, who play lowly Paget tomorrow at Bernard Park.
