PHC Zebras 2

North Village 2

Keishen Bean scored twice to ensure Richard Todd started his tenure as North Village coach in a positive fashion at PHC Zebras in the Premier Division yesterday.

Bean, the Village captain, gave the visiting side an early lead at PHC Stadium with a cool finish after playing a neat one-two with midfielder Pierre Smith.

PHC made a surprisingly slow start considering they should have been ahead of Village in terms of their preparations, having been involved in the season-opening Dudley Eve Trophy competition.

But they gradually began to settle and dictate the play, with Shakir Smith firing wide on his weaker right foot from a tight angle after good work from Jahnai Raynor on the left.

Diondre Dowling, the PHC midfielder, also went close to finding a leveller but was denied by the feet of Jason Williams, the Village goalkeeper, who has returned to the club after taking a break from the game.

Eventually PHC’s pressure told with Raynor picking out an unmarked Anthony Hunter with another searching cross from the left which seemed to hit the PHC midfielder in his midriff before bouncing over the line just before half-time.

A clever, chipped free kick on the edge of the box on 68 minutes resulted in PHC taking the lead, with the ball dropping invitingly for Smith who finished smartly past Williams.

Village equalised almost immediately, however, when Philip Parsons, the holding midfielder, released Bean with a through ball which drew Troy Hall, the PHC goalkeeper, off his line.

Bean, who played for Bermuda in this year’s World Cup qualifiers, showed his experience by rounding the stranded Hall before placing his shot into the empty net from an acute angle.

Village were forced to absorb plenty of pressure during the final ten minutes with Hunter going the closest for the home side with a left-footed drive which drifted just wide of Williams’s right-hand post.

PHC also squandered a free kick in a dangerous position, with Smith passing the ball straight into the Village wall much to the relief of the visiting team’s bench.

Bean, who was full of confidence after his brace, tried his luck from range in the dying seconds, but his chipped effort was never realistically in danger of troubling Hall.

Todd, the former Bermuda Football Association Academy director, said he was content to come away from PHC Stadium with a share of the spoils.

“I think PHC definitely had the advantage in terms of their preparation having played some competitive matches in the Dudley Eve Trophy,” said the former St George’s coach.

“It was a difficult place to come for us, as we have a lot young players playing in some critical positions, especially across the backline.

“We feel they only need game time to be polished and there’s only one way to do that is to put them into the fire.”

Todd praised the influential performance of Bean who he believed on another day could have produced the winner.

“Keishen had a couple of excellent finishes and I thought he might have had the winner on his boot,” Todd said.

“But we’re delighted to come on the road and pick up a point. If anything, I’m disappointed that we didn’t come away with the win. I think we’re going to get stronger with each game.”

Elsewhere Somerset Trojans got their season off to a bright start with a comfortable 3-1 win over ten-man Boulevard Blazers at Police Field.

Leo Burgess put the champions in front after 32 minutes, before TiaeVince Douglas drew the home side on the stroke of half-time. That was also when Boulevard were reduced to ten men, with Zeiko Darrell sent off for foul and abusive language.

A man up, Somerset took control of the game in the space of four minutes after the break, with Adolphus Lambert putting his side ahead on 54 minutes, and Jaz Ratteray-Smith extending the lead soon after.

In the day’s other Premier Division game, Southampton Rangers beat Devonshire Cougars 2-1 at Southampton Oval.