PHC Zebras 5

Southampton Rangers 1

PHC Zebras remained on course for a record eleventh FA Cup triumph after coming from behind to record an emphatic victory over Southampton Rangers in their FA Cup quarter-final clash at PHC Field yesterday.

The visiting side stunned the home side when Jahkai Dyer, the Rangers midfielder, put his team’s noses out front with a goal worthy of any highlight reel.

However, PHC hit back with five unanswered goals through Jaavaid Warren-Smith and Cecoy Robinson, who both scored braces, and Marquel Waldron to send the Dudley Eve Trophy holders through to a third semi-final of the season.

Rangers came charging out of the blocks and took the match to Zebras with some attractive ball movement, Dyer offering a glimpse of things to come when he blasted over with only Daniel Johnson, the PHC goalkeeper, to beat.

At the other end Shakir Smith missed a gilt-edged opportunity, rolling Diondre Dowling’s pull back inside the box wide when scoring seemed easier.

Rangers’s best moment of the match arrived when Dyer finished with aplomb to give the visiting side the lead.

The forward ran onto a pass from midfield, turned Mikey Lambe, the PHC centre back, inside out and slotted past Johnson from an angle.

Smith’s shooting woes continued as the PHC striker blasted Dowling’s pass over the bar while virtually standing on the goalline.

PHC eventually settled down and after taking charge of the middle of the pitch drew level.

Rakeem DeShields headed Smith’s corner onto the crossbar and Warren-Smith drilled in the rebound in heavy traffic.

Smith had the ball in the back of the net minutes later, but the effort was ruled offside, much to PHC’s frustration.

Rangers were vulnerable down their left side and PHC nearly exploited their weakness with Roland Rhones, the Rangers goalkeeper, making a vital save with his legs to deny Warren-Smith right on the stroke of half-time.

Whatever words Mark Wade, the PHC coach, said to his players during the half-time break seemed to do the trick as the home team stepped their game up a notch or two in the second half and blew Rangers off the pitch.

PHC took the lead for good three minutes into the second when Warren-Smith scored from a set piece.

The midfielder lashed in a shot from outside of the 18-yard box after receiving a throw in.

Robinson then had an effort cleared off the line by Anthony Rocker, the Rangers defender, who came on at the start of the second half for the injured Nieldonte Smith.

Persistence finally paid off for Robinson, the PHC captain, who drilled in Smith’s cross at the back post to make it 3-1 and effectively kill the game off.

Robinson grabbed a second two minutes later with another neat finish at the back post as Rangers continued to unravel at the seams.

Quinacaeo Hunt, PHC’s reserve goalkeeper, made his first appearance in senior football after replacing Johnson in the closing minutes.

Getting a first taste of senior action capped a memorable weekend for Hunt who was the hero in the West’s penalty shoot-out victory over the East in the Bermuda Schools Sports Federation’s senior boys All-Star match at the North Field, National Sports Centre, two days earlier.

By now Rangers were clearly a beaten team.

But PHC were not done just yet as Waldron put the finishing touch to his team’s convincing victory with a goal from close range in the 90th minute.

Scorers

PHC Zebras (Warren-Smith 31, 48, Robinson 61, 63, Waldron 90)

Southampton Rangers (Dyer 13)

PHC Zebras (4-4-2): D Johnson (sub: Q Hunt, 85min) — J Carpenter, M Lambe, R DeShields, J Raynor — M Waldron, R Richardson (sub: D Joell, 82), D Dowling, J Warren-Smith (sub: O Tucker, 70) — C Robinson, S Smith. Substitutes not used: K Richards, J Ball, D Usher, C Castle.

Southampton Rangers (4-5-1): R Rhones — K Symonds, J Hill, N Smith (sub: A Rocker, 46), K Astwood — V Perinchief, J Dyer, E Stoneham, Reggie Lowe (sub: S Swan, 77), Richard Lowe — N Mello (sub: A Bean, 60). Substitutes not used: A Raynor, E Albouy.

Referee: A Mouchette.