<Bz61>Roots one win from the title
It’s do or die for Dandy Town Roots who must beat Robin Hood tonight at BAA Field (kick-off 8 p.m.) to win the Commercial League.
Anything less than outright victory will hand the title back to reigning champs Key West who were beaten 1-0 by MR Onions at the weekend.
The pub side scored from their only chance of the game to snatch a victory over Key West who dominated for long periods but were unable to break down an excellent Onions defence.
The closest wasteful Key West came was when they struck the bar midway through the second-half.
Onions got the winner with 15 minutes remaining in a goalmouth scramble which saw Kian Wookey’s shot diverted in from close range by Eoghan O’Dwyer.
Immediately after Karl Roberts had an excellent opportunity to equalise but his shot was brilliantly saved by keeper Chris Hewson in his final game for MR Onions.
Meanwhile Dandy Town Roots kept their title hopes alive with a convincing 5-0 victory over BAA.
Roots opened their account early in the first half when Adam Outerbridge brilliantly controlled a cross from the left on his chest and in the same motion turned his defender before driving the ball home from just inside the area.
Lorenzo Simons made it 2-0 just before the break when he was on hand to tap in a rebound from six yards. The Roots kept the momentum going after the break and a mazy run by full-back Calvin Blankendal ended when Darron Simons notched from close range. Lorenzo Simons added another before Mark Trott scored the fifth from the penalty spot.
Roots must defeat Robin Hood tonight who are still fighting for their lives after picking up only a point against bottom club Island XI in a goalless encounter at Shelly Bay.
And PHC failed to pull clear of the drop zone after a 3-3 draw with Lobster Pot. Pot dominated the first 30 minutes and went ahead 3-0 with Chukwoma Woods notching the first after latching on to a through ball from Steve Palmer.
Karl Brown poked home in a scramble from a corner and Tom Cusack fired home first time when he intercepted a misplaced pass from PHC ‘keeper to make it 3-0.
However, Al Thomas got two back before the break — the first a screamer from distance and the second poached from a ‘keeper error. Tyril Simmons tied the game with a long range effort with 15 minutes remaining.
In the B division Somerset Extros look good bets for their second successive title after beating Devonshire Lions in a 6-5 thriller. Rodney Bascome got a hat-trick, David Burchall got two and Kent Bascome got one while Shawn Showers got two for the home side while Dwayne Bean, Preston Mallory and Gary Mallory all tallied.
St. George’s All-Stars closed out the regular season in winning style with a 3-1 victory over visiting Boulevard. First half action saw All-Stars goalkeeper Ernest McCallan put his team ahead 1-0 when he converted from the penalty spot. The home team soon went up 2-0 when Kenneth Bartram scored with a great shot from outisde the box.
Boulevard took advantage when Allstars’ defender Andrew Richardson stumbled on the ball and lost possession, gifting visitors an easy goal. The second half saw All-Stars miss a slew of chances before finally settling for a single goal from Brent Minors that enabled the All-Stars’ newest recruit to finish joint top scorer with six goals for the season.
Valley lie third after an 8-2 crushing of Somerset Bridge Peskies. Pest Control picked up a walk over win over Devonshire All-Stars while Vasco also get maximum points after Prospect/Fire could not raise a side.
