North Village 2

Southampton Rangers 1

In a tense, hard-fought and exciting encounter at Bernard Park, North Village Rams emerged victorious after a beautifully placed header by defender Devrae Tankard secured victory in the final minutes of the game.

The Rams staked their claim and authority early on when they notched their first strike with little more than five minutes played.

Jason Lee spearheaded the opening goal when he was able to outpace and round a Rangers defender down the left flank. Lee’s deft pass into the box found a streaking Jonathan Briers who wasted no time dispatching his first-touch past the helpless Rangers keeper, Corey Richardson.

With the momentum clearly in Village’s favour from the opening kick-off, they threatened time and again to add to their tally. Were it not for poor finishing on their part, and some timely defending at opportune times by the Rangers defenders, the Rams might well have tripled their score by half-time.

Rangers’ best opportunity to score came after half an hour when Vernon Perinchief, the midfielder, chested down a cross from Keedai Astwood on the wing, turned and fired a blistering shot from just outside the box that dipped inches over the crossbar. It was the visiting side’s best opportunity to score in the first half.

Rangers seized the initiative after the break and dished out their own brand of inspiring, attacking football. Throughout the opening ten minutes of play, they had golden opportunities to not only level the score, but to take the lead.

In back-to-back possessions spanning a minute, the Rangers front-line created penetrating runs into the Rams penalty area only to shoot tamely at Rams’ goalkeeper, Troy Hall. Rangers kept up their relentless pressure by pressing everyone forward, matching the Rams stride for stride and seeming the more threatening to score.

Rangers were eventually rewarded for their all-out hustle five minutes from time, after Stephen Allen, the referee, awarded them a free kick on the edge of the Village penalty area. Perinchief’s shot found its way through a maze of bodies and just beyond the reach of Hall to nestle inside the upright.

The adage that “it’s never over till it’s over” could not have proven more true as the Rams made short work of the Rangers’ celebration, a minute later, when Tankard, the beneficiary of a floating cross from deep on the right flank from Takeyhi Walker, was able to score in the 86th minute.

Tankard rose majestically and, unmarked, rammed his header under the crossbar and beyond the reach of Rangers goalkeeper, Richardson leaving the Rams to run off with the win.