Somerset Trojans 1

Devonshire Cougars 2

Devonshire Cougars came from behind to upstage Premier Division champions Somerset Trojans on their home turf at Somerset Cricket Club last night.

Trojans took the lead against the run of play through Dion Stovell’s penalty after Kioshi Trott, the Cougars goalkeeper, floored Leo Burgess in the box, to deny the midfielder a goal scoring opportunity.

Trott was sent off for the foul, leaving his side to spend almost an hour down to ten men.

Cougars kept their cool and hit back minutes later through a neat finish from Kwame Steede, the Cougars player/coach, to send the two teams into the dressing room level at half-time.

However, not before Trojans surrendered their numerical advantage after Coolridge Durham, the midfielder, picked up a second booking for a senseless foul on Kwame Steede.

Cougars took full control after the break and after going ahead through Machi Battersbee’s brilliant solo effort never looked like surrendering their lead.

The visitors fired on all cylinders and outplayed their opponents with some attractive and fluent football that kept Trojans chasing ghosts for most of the night.

However, the final scoreline did Cougars’s dominant display no justice as they were a pace or two quicker than their opponents, created more clear cut scoring opportunities and should have won by a wider margin.

Both teams were slow shifting through the gears but Trojans threatened first with Wade stinging Trott’s palms with a fierce blast from close range that the goalkeeper kept out.

Cougars gave Trojans plenty of trouble with the occasional long ball over the top for their pacy forwards to run onto.

On one such raid Cashun Brangman, the Cougars midfielder, broke through but his first touch was poor and the chance went abegging.

Battersbee also showed the Trojans defence a clean pair of heels but dragged his effort wide of the far post.

Trojans turned the game on its head in the 37th minute with a little help from Trott, who rushed of his line and floored Burgess in the box and then promptly received his marching orders.

Zachary Morris, the Cougars midfielder, was sacrificed for Ricardo Brangman, the reserve goalkeeper, whose first task was digging the ball out of the back of the net after Stovell sent him the wrong way with his spot-kick.

Trojans’ joy, however, was short-lived as Durham too lost had sudden rush of blood to head and got himself sent off unnecessarily and Steede flicked the ball past Shaquille Bean, the Trojans goalkeeper, to draw the teams level at the half.

Cougars went straight for the jugular after the break and took the lead for good in the 57th minute when the crafty Battersbee burst down the left side, cut in and beat Bean from a tight angle.

By now Trojans were clearly a beaten bunch and they were fortunate not to concede more goals as Cougars continued the relentless onslaught.

Cashun Brangman had three good looks at goal but trailed to cash in. The midfielder shot tamely into Bean’s arms after being played through, had another effort saved and then struck the post after springing the offside trap.

Trojans nearly grabbed a late equaliser on a counter attack. However, Burgess rolled his effort wide of the far post.

TEAMS

Scorers

Somerset Trojans (Stovell (pen) 37)

Devonshire Cougars (Kwame Steede 43, Battersbee 57)

Somerset Trojans (4-4-2); S Bean - J Harvey-Outerbridge, S Brangman, T Ming, J Rogers (sub: R Ford, 58) - C Durham, J Ratteray-Smith (sub: V Blanchette, 66), T Wade (sub: A Seaman, 77), L Burgess - D Stovell, J Bean. Substitutes not used: T Brown, F Crockwell, A Lambert, A Smith. Booked: Durham, Rogers. Sent off: Durham.

Devonshire Cougars (4-2-3-1): K Trott - J Darrell, Zekiro White, Zeko White, C Burns - Z Simons (sub: T Woodley, 77), Moses Steede, C Brangman, Z Morris (sub: R Brangman, 35), M Battersbee (sub: Mark Steede, 82) - K Steede. Substitutes not used: K Minors, L Brangman, C Stevens, N Carmichael. Sent off: Trott.

Referee: E Holmes