Paget 3

Ireland Rangers 1

Paget made it three wins in a row last night after two first half goals by Y-Ron Astwood, and a third from Davin Dill, helped them advance in the First Division Shield at Devonshire Recreation Club.

Astwood, who scored twice in Paget’s first win over Young Men’s Social Club recently, finally broke the deadlock in the 37th minute, and added a second right on half-time, taking the sting out of a determined Ireland Rangers side.

Rangers’s only victory in the league so far was a 5-2 thumping of Paget in October.

There has been much improvement in Paget since then, however, as they have now won three games on the bounce, with last night’s win setting up a meeting with St George’s in the first round of the Shield.

The two sides also meet on Sunday, when Paget travel to Wellington Oval, and are determined not to be a pushover for the other First Division sides.

“In our last three victories we had a lot of young players come in, and now we’re getting them to gel,” Mike Stovell, the Paget manager, said.

“We’re going to come out, do our best and compete. We’re not going to lie down, Paget will be there to play.

“We haven’t had a chance to see them [St George’s] play, but we have them in the league on Sunday and again the following Sunday in the Shield.

“We can gauge our game on Sunday, and to be honest a draw would be good for us.

“We have one or two players to come in as late transfers, and a few college students coming back, so things are going to be looking up for Paget. Something to look forward to, no more pushovers.”

Four players picked up in the transfer market featured in Paget’s latest win, with Koshun Durrant and Davin Dill joining from North Village, Kushae Hypolite from PHC and Khyon “Dunbar” Smith from X-Roads.

Smith set up the third goal for Dill late in the game.

Rangers regrouped early in the second half after being forced into a couple of substitutions because of injury, and pulled a goal back in the 64th minute when Henry Santucci was shoved in the penalty box.

Santucci picked himself up and took the resulting spot kick himself, giving Gerald Simons, the goalkeeper, no chance.

Three minutes later Santucci almost tied it up at 2-2 when he pounced on some hesitancy by the advancing Simons, but his shot towards the goal from an angle was cleared off the line by Jahniya Richardson.

A lapse in the Ireland Rangers defence five minutes from time allowed Smith to get through on the left, and in a one-on-one with Jahkobi Smith, the goalkeeper, passed to Dill who scored easily to made certain of the win.

Paget will take on St George’s, who beat St David’s on Wednesday night, in the next round, with games to be played on December 13.