Victorious Somerset coach, Norbert Simons, has hit out at the way promotion and relegation is decided in Bermuda -- despite the fact his team will be playing Premier Division football next season as a direct result. Having beaten First Division Ireland Rangers 2-1 on Wednesday night in the first leg of the Bermuda Football Association's end of season play-offs, Somerset repeated the feat last night for a 4-2 aggregate win.

A Rodney Bascome penalty and a Jermaine Dill header gave the Trojans a come-from-behind win after Trenton Tankard had opened the scoring for Rangers.

Rangers coach, Michael Corday, had earlier criticised the decision by the BFA to insist on the play-offs between the team that finishes second bottom of the Premier Division and the team that finishes runner-up in the first.

Corday believed the move, which was brought in after the BFA reduced the top flight from 10 to eight, favoured the Island's elite sides at the expense of lesser teams.

Last night Trojans coach Simons, who hinted he was about to retire, appeared to agree.

"I think that we deserved on our performances to win those two games but I really feel for Ireland Rangers because under normal circumstances we should have been relegated,'' he said. "But that's the rules that the BFA came up with and I think they need to have a serious rethink.

"We only have a small league. I could understand if we were in England and had such a big league, then the play-offs would have a value. But for us with only eight teams in the Premier Division and 12 teams in First Division they are saying that only one team is going to be promoted. On any given day any Premier team should win against a First Division team in a two-leg game.'' Simons said he believed the BFA were seeking solutions to the wrong problem.

It was not the size of the league, more how games are scheduled that needed looking at.

"I think there should be 10 teams in the Premier Division looking at what happened this year,'' he said.

"Just having eight teams is unfair to all of the teams that are aspiring to play Premier Division football and then on top of that you turn around and have a play-off. You are only ensuring that one team goes down so you may as well say that it will be one down and one up.'' Simons' contract is up for review at the end of the season, but he added: "Right now I am thinking about retiring. I have been involved with Somerset since 1981. I am going to take some time to think about it, but I am leaning heavily towards retiring,'' he said.

Ireland Rangers: R.Tucker; D.Madeiros; W.Anderson; D.Deroza; T.Codrington; R.Gomes; J.Bean; H.Santucci; G.Chambers J.Codrington, 75); T.Tankard C.Anderson, 57); J.Saltus M.Mendes, 64).

Somerset: A.Hendrickson; K.Roberts; G.Butterfield; R.Scott; J.Martin; J.Dill; D.Rahman M.Brangman, 55); Dwayne Basden; D.Burchall; Dwight Basden L.Trew, 87); R.Bascome.

Yellow cards: Dwight Basden (Somerset) Men of the match: H.Santucci (Rangers); Dwight Basden (Somerset) Referee: R.Knight.