Wilmington Hammerheads 3

Bermuda Hogges 0

It proved to be a game too far for the Bermuda Hogges who were sunk last night by Wilmington Hammerheads and so finished anchored to the bottom of the USL-D2.

In the end the fatigue from playing four fixtures in eight days caught up with the fledgling football franchise who were reduced to ten men for the second successive match. This time it was a frustrated Kyle Lightbourne who received his marching orders on 77 minutes for two reckless challenges.

"A win will do us ¿ that's all we need to do to finish off the bottom," veteran keeper Timmy Figureido had reminded his team-mates during the build-up to this crunch encounter. In truth, every man of the Hogges' travelling party already knew the magnitude of their final fixture - the fact Shaun Goater and Kyle Lightbourne both started was evidence of that.

Making amends for a sluggish start 48 hours earlier against Charlotte Eagles, the Hogges exploded out of the starting blocks and should have grabbed the lead through Kwame Steede who headed Damon Ming's pinpoint cross over from close range.

And they very nearly paid for their skipper's profligacy with Hammerheads' Brian Cvilikas, ploughing a lone furrow in attack, breaching the Hogges' makeshift defence before being thwarted by the imposing Figureido. Goater was providing stickability for on-rushing trio of Ralph Bean, Ming and Lashun Dill. The impish Ming especially was enjoying generous portions of time and space, working in tandem with Dill who was brimming with confidence after his wonder strike against the Eagles.

Goater, rolling back the years, then connected with Ming's right-wing corner, leaning back with a left-foot strike which rattled the crossbar, but while the Islanders were looking threatening on every counter-attack, so too were the Hammerheads who struck Figureido's upright through Cvilikas. But the marksman certainly found his scoring boots in the second period scoring on 58, 64 and 90 minutes for his hat-trick with the Hogges running on empty.

In the short term the stigma of finishing in the basement of the league will overshadow just how much progress the Hogges have made on and off the field this season, but when the dust settles on the disappointing climax the full promising picture will emerge.

Co-owner Paul Scope said he was proud of the players' efforts this season and believed plenty of progress had been made.

He said: "After the start we made we didn't believe we'd still be able to finish off the bottom in our final game of the season.

"The first goal was always going to be crucial and so it proved. We've learned a lot of lessons both on and off the field. The fixture list is one area we'll have to look at, as four games in just over a week was probably too much.

"Overall it's been a promising first season and hopefully it'll be onwards and upwards next year."

See tomorrow's Royal Gazette Sport section for an in-depth interview with Hogges president Shaun Goater on how he feels the club's first season in the USL has gone.