PHC Zebras 4 Devonshire Colts 1

Cecoy Robinson struck twice in the first half, including a brilliant opener from 45 yards, as PHC Zebras joined North Village on ten points at the top of the Premier Division yesterday.

The PHC captain had an inspired performance in midfield as PHC threatened to run up a big score after leading 3-0 at the interval.

He might have had a hat-trick, too, but the designated penalty taker went off in the 62nd minute after feeling tightness in his hamstring.

It left Tre Ming to take the team’s second penalty 16 minutes later to secure their biggest league win of the season.

“It means nothing, it’s game by game for me, we still have a lot of improvement to make,” Scott Morton, the PHC coach, said.

“In the first half I greatly appreciate what they brought today. The players brought a lot more belief in what we’re trying to do. We dropped off in the second half at the beginning, but all credit to Devonshire Colts, whose coach did an excellent job in a tactical change to adapt to what we were doing.”

Robinson brought the game to life with a stunning opener, beating goalkeeper Keitaro Darrell with a long-range shot that dropped over the goalkeeper and inside a post.

Zebras, who drew with Somerset Trojans in midweek, dominated the first half with some slick passing. They doubled their lead midway through the half when Marco Warren was fouled inside the area and Robinson easily converted to put the home team further ahead.

Colts picked up three cards in the space of five minutes as the intensity lifted, with Quinton Jones, Vernell Lambe and Jomei Bean-Lindo going into referee Anthony Francis’s book for fouls. PHC put the game out of reach with a third goal in the 37th minute. Rakeem DeShields scored with a firm header from a cross by defender Johnny Ball who had pushed forward down the left side.

Colts’ best effort in the first half came just before the break when a cross from defender Teniko Eve found Eli Smith at the far post but he blasted wide from a good position.

PHC played it safe at the start of the second half, as Colts came out with more determination.

Colts pulled a goal back a minute after PHC replaced Robinson, with Kyle Jones getting on the end of a cross to score with a header at the far post in the 63rd minute.

PHC were awarded another penalty in the 78th minute, when Idrees Sharrieff was brought down by Lambe as he raced through. This time Ming stepped up to score.

Dupray Joell had a good chance to make it 5-1 in the closing minutes after he was put clear of the PHC defence. However, he rushed his shot and put it wide when left with just the goalkeeper to beat.

“I didn’t do a good job of getting them ready for the start of the second half,” Morton said. “It got away from me a bit in the half-time team talk.

“But credit to Colts for coming out in the second half ready to play and prepared to take the game to us.

Cecoy said he felt a little tightness, so I took him off to give him some rest. I was planning to give him and one or two others some rest anyway, as they had played 90 minutes of every match for us. He was the designated penalty taker, so [the hat-trick] might have come his way.

“Tre needed to get on the scoresheet also, so it’s good that happened.”