PHC Zebras 2 Boulevard 1

PHC returned to the top of the Premier Division after Cecoy Robinson netted twice at PHC Field yesterday.

The PHC captain netted late in the first half to wipe out the lead given to Boulevard by Niko Smith minutes earlier and then converted a second-half penalty to make sure of the three points.

“I made a joke with him, ‘thank you for two out of ten’ because he missed about eight chances,” Scott Morton, the PHC coach, said. “I appreciate the fight that the team put in and I give all credit to them because they are big believers in what we’re trying to do.

“To Boulevard, a lot of credit to them for fighting and making the game difficult for us. Our players know what’s at stake, but it’s the game coming up that is the most important one and if we can focus on that we’ll be all right.”

To add to their woes Boulevard lost top scorer Ian Coke with a hamstring injury in the 56th minute. They then had defender Jerome Bailey sent off in the 87th minute after accusing referee Garic Swainson of cheating after a free kick awarded to PHC on the edge of the Boulevard penalty area.

PHC created the early chances with Idrees Sharrieff having a shot blocked by goalkeeper Daniel Adams in the first minute before a brilliant one-handed save by Adams denied Robinson’s well-struck volley.

Tre Ming was denied what would have been a brilliant long-range goal midway through the half when, from a few yards inside his own half, he spotted Adams off his line and chipped the ball over his head only to see the ball hit the base of the post with the goalkeeper scrambling to get back.

At the other end a shot from Takeyhi Walker was tipped away for a corner by Shaquille Trott, the PHC goalkeeper.

From the corner Trott dislocated a finger in his left hand during a scramble inside the box and was substituted.

Replacement goalkeeper Stefan Dill was quickly in the thick of the action as Boulevard got a break down the right side through Coke to take the lead. Coke slid the ball past the advancing Dill and Smith followed up to force the ball over the line.

That goal lifted PHC and eight minutes later they were back level when, from a Marquel Waldron free kick, Ming chipped the perfect ball behind the Boulevard defence for Robinson to sidefoot over Adams.

Robinson missed another opportunity on the hour when he used his pace to get clear of the Boulevard defence before shooting well over the bar.

PHC kept pushing for a winner as Jaavaid Warren-Smith shot just over the bar. Three minutes later their endeavour paid off when substitute Keishon Smith was tripped inside the box by Jakio Williams. Robinson calmly slotted home from the penalty spot.

n Robin Hood moved ahead of North Village on goal difference when they thrashed Devonshire Colts 6-0 at Police Field. Colts, bottom of the table, had defender Matteo Isaac sent off late in the first half for a second booking, with the visiting side already up 4-0.

SCORERS

PHC Zebras

Robinson 43, 76 pen

Boulevard

Smith 35

TEAMS

PHC (4-4-2): S Trott (sub: S Dill, 27 min) — D Usher, N Griffith, M Lambe, J Ball — M Waldron, T Ming, J Warren-Smith, C Robinson — R DeShields (sub: K Bean, 68), I Sharrieff. Substitutes not used: K Griffith, M Simmons, N Carpenter. Booked: Robinson.

Boulevard (4-3-3): D Adams — J Williams, J Bailey, K Smith, Z Stovell — N Smith, I Mallory (sub: J Symonds, 70), D Taylor — I Coke (sub: M Tankard, 56), T Walker, A Famous (sub: T Butterfield, 80). Booked: Taylor, Williams. Sent off: Bailey.

Referee: G Swainson.