Somerset Trojans 2 Somerset Eagles 1

Goals from Jabrel Tucker and Vashun Blanchette gave Somerset Trojans early bragging rights in the battle between these two West End rivals.

Tucker's 19th minute header, and Blanchette's second half strike where enough to see off a poor Eagles team who rarely got out of first gear at Somerset Cricket Club last night.

Marlon Rojas' late goal caused the home side a few nervy moments late on, but Kenny Thompson's men were well beaten by a Trojans team who largely dominated this encounter, and were rarely troubled by an Eagles attack that has been scoring for fun in the opening weeks of the season.

Most of the credit for that must go to central defenders Desmond Burgess and Darin Minors, who were dominant in the air, and on the ground, and gave their side the base from which to control this game.

In the middle Coefield Robinson provided solid support, while outwide Tahj Wade's pace was a constant threat.

Trojans were helped too by the visiting team's continued failure to find a proper goalkeeper, and while stand-in Marcel Dill does his best, as he did throughout their First Division campaign last year, it is insufficient for the rigours of the top-flight.

While he can only take partial blame for Tucker's header, where the Trojans defender outjumped his marker from a corner for a simple header almost on the goalline, he was singularly at fault for the home side's second.

Blanchette's shot from just outside the area was not the strongest that will be seen all season, but instead of catching it, Dill attempted to punch the ball, and merely succeded in deflecting it over his own head and into the goal.

By that stage, Eagles should already have been back on level terms, but Shakir Smith somehow managed to head over from just two yards out with the goal at his mercy just five minutes after the break.

Smith wasn't the only player guilty of a glaring miss last night, Trojans striker Shawn Simons missed a similar opportunity towards the end of the first half when he headed straight at Dill from five yards out.

But while Trojans continued to create opportunities, Smith's miss seemed to sum up the first hour for Eagles, who up until that point appeared devoid of ideas.

Antwan Russell's early shot briefly tested Andrew Jjombwe in the Trojans goal, but it was the most the goalkeeper had to do throughout the first half.

Too often the visiting team failed to make the final ball tell, and crosses into the box were invariably cut out by the first defender.

Tucker's miss only served to further dishearten Eagles, and although the introduction of Rojas added some much needed bite, they still could find no way through Trojans' stubborn defence.

On the one occasion that Eagles created some space, Rojas latched onto Daniel Andrade's cut back and guided the ball past Jjombwe to halve the deficit.

Jjombwe would have been happy if his second half had been as quiet as his first, but after colliding with a post following Smith's miss, he collided with substitute Jonathan Bean later on and limped off the field at the end.

Still he was rarely tested by Eagles, and while Rojas' goal should have been the signal for Thompson's team to lay seige to their opponents goal for the final 20 minutes, they still couldn't impose themselves on the game, and though Burgess was forced to clear from Troy Tucker in the final moments, the result never really seemed in doubt.

"This win means a lot to the Somerset community," said a jubilant Trojans coach Dennis Brown after the game.

"It's always a war between these two teams, but I thought the game was played in a good spirit, played hard by both teams, and I'm just glad we came out victorious.

"Our thing tonight was that we didn't have to look pretty, but at the end of the day this is a derby match and the end result needed to be in our favour, which it was.

"It's given us confidence for the rest of the season, we have a few 16-year-olds in the team, and they are growing in confidence after every match."

Somerset Trojans: A Jjombwe, Z Iris, J Tucker, D Minors, D Burgess, C Robinson, T Wade, V Blanchette, D Basden, J Butterfield (A Outerbridge, 85 mins), S Simons. Subs not used: M Thomas, K Showers, A Butterfield, J Simmons, D Simmons, S Bean.

Scorers: Tucker 19, Blanchette 56.

Somerset Eagles: M Dill, D Andrade (J Bean, 76), T Fubler, A Rocker, J Bather, T Davis, T Tucker, R Deshields, A Lambert (M Rojas, 64), S Smith (P Wilson, 72), A Russell. Subs not used: D Dowling, P Davis, J Davis,

Scorer: Rojas 74

Booked: Basden, Simons (Trojans); Fubler, Deshields (Eagles).

Referee: D Martin

Man of the match: Burgess