Dandy Town 2 Robin Hood 1

Dandy Town Hornets won the Charity Cup for a third straight year after beating Robin Hood in a close match at Bernard Park on Sunday.

Tomiko Goater scored from close range in the seventeenth minute after a corner on the right by experienced midfielder Damon Ming.

Late first-half pressure paid off for Hood, last season’s FA Cup winners and runners-up to Hornets in the league, when they equalised in the 41st minute through Ereico Outerbridge who placed a low shot across Cymande Davis’s goal and into the far corner with the outside of his right boot.

Hornets winner came against the run of play early in the second half when midfielder Daeshun Butterfield drove his left-footed shot inside the post from 20 yards on 57 minutes.

Angelo Simmons, the Town captain, came on as a second-half substitute, twice went close to scoring in injury time, including steering his first effort wide with just Jason Simons, the goalkeeper, to beat.

Hood, who gave a debut to new signing Chris Caisey from Hamilton Parish, had an early setback when midfielder Donte Brangman went off injured after just eight minutes, with Zuhri Burgess, another former Parish player, coming on to replace him.

Town took the lead a few minutes later with Goater converted the season’s first goal, before Hood equalised just before the half through Outerbridge.

Hornets almost regained the lead through an indirect free kick inside the box, when Damon Ming touched the ball for Jahtino Richardson-Martin whose shot was cleared off the line by Darius Cox, the Hood captain.

Hood enjoyed a good period of pressure early in the second half with a couple of threatening corners, as Town brought on Simmons for Lynn Tucker who started the match as a striker.

Butterfield’s well-struck effort minutes later stood as the winner, as a one-handed save from Simons prevented Simmons from extending the Town lead seven minutes later.

Jomar Wilkinson, the Town coach, was pleased with his team’s effort in their first outing of the season, even though they were not as dominant as in the 3-0 and 4-0 wins over Somerset and Devonshire Cougars in the previous two Charity Cup matches. Town started with some regular starters like Simmons, Seion Darrell and Drewonde Bascome on the bench.

“We had our game plan and the players executed it excellently,” Wilkinson said. “I’m very proud of the players, they showed a lot of discipline and were committed to the cause.

“Our pre-season hasn’t started as we would have wanted it to, but we weren’t going to use that as an excuse and not put in the effort, so I’m very, very proud of my players today.

“Daeshun didn’t play last season, he had a knee injury, but is back this season. He’s a player who wants to take on players and be positive with his play.

“Jamal Swan is another player returning and they help make the team better and we’re happy to have them back.”

The two teams met in last season’s finale, with Hood landing a first trophy at Town’s expense when they beat them in the 2-0 FA Cup final.

Kyle Lightbourne, the Hood coach, said it was a good first outing for his team with a couple of players missing.

“It was one of the Charity Cup’s that has been close,” he said. “It showed we’re in decent shape, but can play better. Our injury early on was a setback and we missed Lejuan [Simmons] and Nathan Peskett today. They are both off the island.

“I thought we started the game pretty good and then faded away. We started well in the second half and then they scored against the run of play when nobody closed the ball down for the shot. I know my ‘keeper is disappointed that one went in.”

TEAMS

Dandy Town (4-3-3): C Davis — K Wade (sub: Darrell, 57min),

K Lathan, J Richardson-Martin, K Tucker – J Swan, K Davis (sub: D Bascome, 60), T Goater —

D Butterfield (sub: E Blankendal, 77), L Tucker (sub: A Simmons, 53), D Ming (sub:

D Williams, 67). Substitutes not used: J Stowe, J Amory.

Robin Hood (4-3-3): J Simons — J Pereira, D Cox, C Fosker (sub: S Burchall, 67), P Froncioni — A Nelson, C Caisey (sub: M Thomas, 80), D Brangman (sub: Z Burgess, 8) — D Taylor (sub: T Dill, 60), A Russell, E Outerbridge (sub: C Ryan, 70). Substitutes not used: L Simons, S Nasir.

Referee: A Bailey.