BAA 1

X-Roads Warriors 1

BAA snatched a 4-1 penalty shoot-out victory over X-Roads Warriors in the First Division Shield final at Somerset Cricket Club yesterday.

Karl Brown, the BAA goalkeeper, emerged as his team’s hero, saving two spot kicks much to the delight of Kameron Fox, the side’s assistant coach, who struggled to watch the nerve-shredding ending.

“Sometimes it gets difficult to take in as coach,” said Fox, who was again taking charge in the absence of Kenny Thompson, the team’s head coach.

“We had our chances but it was never a one-way street type of game.

“I think it was there for the taking for both teams but we took our chance in the penalty shoot-out.”

With neither side finding the net in regulation time, it took until the 99th minute for Willie Clemons, the BAA striker, to break the deadlock with an ice-cool finish, rounding Dashun Cooper, the X-Roads goalkeeper, before calmly slotting home.

With five minutes of extra time remaining X-Roads were awarded a penalty after BAA defender Ashton Bell impeded striker Travis Boyles with a sluggish challenge. Rico Beek kept his composure to convert from the spot and send the game into penalties.

“We let them get back into the game when we shouldn’t have,” Fox said. “Maybe we were already thinking about winning the trophy and got too excited.”

It was BAA who posed the greater scoring threat during the first half with Clemons causing plenty of problems with his searing pace, twice forcing good saves from Cooper.

At the other end, X-Roads striker Daniel Baker blazed over Brown’s crossbar after driving his way into the box from the left-hand side.

Moments before the interval BAA went close to taking the lead after good work from Clemons down the left flank but Josh Hartman could not get on the end of his strike partner’s low, hard cross.

In the second half BAA continued to look the more likely to open the scoring with Shane Simmons drawing a fine save from Cooper before the X-Roads goalkeeper pulled off a superb stop to deny a header from Hartman.

Fox had introduced Troy Tucker, who bagged a brace in the semi-final against St George’s, midway through the second half with the midfielder hitting the side-netting from an acute angle.

The best chance of an uninspiring second half fell to Beek late on but the striker was denied by a smart save from Brown.