North Village 7 PHC 1

A “proud” Shaun Goater was left in seventh heaven after watching North Village demolish title contenders PHC on a mud bath of a pitch at Bernard Park yesterday.

Remarkably, the Red Army have struck seven goals in each of their last three matches and went three points clear at the top of the Premier Division table following yesterday's mammoth victory over previously unbeaten PHC.

Ralph Bean and Keishen Bean both bagged braces while Thomas Watson and Taurean Manders also breached PHC's porous defence to give Village a staggering six-goal lead at half-time.

Substitute Kaiwon Dill added a seventh midway through the second half before PHC scored a consolation goal when Blenn Bean converted a penalty after Kofi Dill had handled in the box.

Village had to play out the final few minutes with ten men after Devrae Tankard was dismissed for dissent for his over-zealous protestations aimed at referee Anthony Mouchette for awarding PHC the late penalty.

That Village managed to beat their opponents at their own game by out-muscling and outfighting PHC in extremely difficult conditions was particularly satisfying for Rams coach Goater.

“Traditionally Village don't play that way but we earned the right to play by out-battling them,” he said. “PHC just don't get beat 7-1 so I'm very proud of my players because they showed a lot of fight despite the weather.”

The torrential rain and muddy conditions should have rendered attractive football virtually impossible but Village somehow managed to overcome the elements to outplay PHC for long periods of the game.

Goater continued: “We made a strong start and that enabled to continue our momentum when the bad weather came. I thought we played some really good football at times. We knew when to play and we knew when to fight.

“Our target at the start of the season was to remain in the title hunt by the midway point and this win puts us in a strong position although there's still a long way to go.”

Thomas Watson put Village in front with a long range pile driver after quarter of an hour, and Keishen Bean added a second with a tap in from a Tyrell Burgess cross which completely wrong-footed goalkeeper Raymond Glasford.

PHC were struggling to get to grips with the slippery surface and were exposed again when Ralph Bean opened his account with a sublime chip after being put clean through by a defence-splitting Kofi Dill pass.

Bean found himself one-on-one with Glasford minutes later and drilled a low angled strike past keeper Glasford who was too hesitant in coming off his line with the Village striker seemingly taking a touch too many.

By now Village were scoring for fun with their opponents in complete disarray and added a fifth when Manders hammered home from close range after Zebras failed to clear their lines from a Burgess corner kick.

Kyle Lightbourne, the PHC coach, was left cursing when Aquino Grant squandered a great chance to reduce the arrears when he fired wide with only keeper Jason Williams to beat. Village then took advantage of that reprieve to score their sixth when Keishen Bean hit his second following a neat layoff by Jason Lee on the stroke of half-time.

A miserable looking Lightbourne made a triple substitution at half-time with Lloyd Holder, Cofield Robinson and Corey Dowling entering the one-sided battle, but found themselves trailing by seven goals when Village substitute Kaiwon Dill curled a shot past Glasford.

Zebras only goal of the game, which did little to give the scoreline an air respectability, was fashioned in a controversial manner when Village were awarded a free-kick just outside their area. The ball was live when it was passed back to Dill who picked it up believing he was the player to take the kick, only to watch in bemusement when referee Mouchette pointed to the spot. Village's players vehemently protested, none more than Tankard, who was sent for an early bath before Bean placed his penalty past Williams.

Conceding late on did little to diminish the cheers of the jubilant home fans stationed behind the goal in the 'Ova dea' fan shed who would have more than likely been celebrating their team's famous win long into the night.

North Village: J. Williams, T. Manders (K. Dill, 70), D. Tankard, S. Fubler, K. Dill, S. DeGraff, T. Watson, K. Bean, T. Burgess, J. Lee, R. Bean

Substitutes not used: A. Lee J. Sousa, P. Smith

Yellow cards: Fubler

Red card: D. Tankard

Goals: Watson, 15, K.Bean, 25, 45, Ralph Bean, 36, 38, Manders, 41, Dill, 68

PHC: R. Glasford, J. Ball, O. Shakir, R. Richardson, C. Robinson (C. Dowling, 45), B. Bean, J. Sealey (Cofield Robinson, 45), K. Lambe, A. Grant (L.Holder, 45), K. Lightbourne, A. Russell

Substitutes not used: S. Astwood, Q. Burgess, K. Griffith

Goals: Bean, 87

Referee: A. Mouchette

Man of the match: K. Dill (Village)