Three goals in four first-half minutes handed PHC to their emphatic win over St David’s at Southampton Oval yesterday.

Shakir Smith scored a brace while Robert Richardson, Cecoy Robinson, the PHC skipper, and Marco Piper were also on target.

“We played well today. We stuck together as a team, worked hard for one another and in the end the scoreline reflects the effort,” said Robinson.

“Results at the moment are important and we want to do our best to end the season on a high.

“The main fact heading into the game was that we knew the top four all play each other this weekend, so a win would pull us closer to those who lose and move us closer to the top.

“We had a bad start to the season, but we believe that is behind us now and we can end the season on form.”

Corey Richardson, the St David’s goalkeeper, was a busy man throughout the 90 minutes, and was called upon twice in the early exchanges to keep the sides level.

He denied Lonnie Bascome, the PHC striker, and he was back in the thick of the action moments later having to make a save from a Rakeem DeShields shot.

Malachi Jones, deputising in goal for PHC, did not have much work to do for the most of the match, but did have to beat away an Angelo Cannonier long-range effort.

Smith, who along with Robinson and Bascome were thorns in the Islanders side throughout the match, was rewarded for his off the ball running with his first goal.

Finding a channel to run in between the two centre backs, the pacy striker was put behind the St David’s back line, where he slotted past Richardson for the opening goal.

Before supporters from either side could digest the goal, Smith was again waltzing through the St David’s backline before placing his effort between Richardson’s legs.

PHC’s the third goal came soon after when a partial clearance from a PHC corner fell into the path of Richardson, who made no mistake with his shot from 25 yards.

With the points all but wrapped up, Robinson’s goal fifteen minutes after the restart was the best of the bunch, chipping the onrushing goalkeeper from just inside the area. Richardson was beaten once more in the final minute of regulation time by substitute Marco Piper, who tapped in from close range after a St David’s attack left their goalkeeper defenceless on the counter-attack.

Jones would make the final save of the day, however, pushing a powerful drive from Cannonier over the crossbar.