Robin Hood 3 Somerset Trojans 1

Ereico Outerbridge led a Robin Hood fightback with two superbly taken goals either side of the half as the Premier Division champions chalked up their fourth league win of the season at Goose Gosling Field yesterday.

The Hood forward cancelled out Justin Corday’s early strike that gave Trojans the lead against the run of play and then netted a late insurance goal after Jaylon Bather put the hosts ahead just past the hour mark.

The result leaves Hood in second place, two points adrift of leaders Zebras, while winless Trojans remain second from the bottom of the standings.

John Barry Nusum, the Hood coach, was delighted to see his team get back to winning ways after suffering a second loss of the season against Zebras in the Dudley Eve Trophy semi final at the same venue four days earlier.

“We talked about that before the game,” he said. “This was one of those bubble games where you had a let down the other night and you want to do well but sometimes the let down is still there. We kind of exorcised that and got our win but these games are tough.

“They sat back at first and it was frustrating us and then caught us on the counter.

“But we were playing good football at that point and so we knew we could get back into it and just had to get that first goal.”

Despite the loss, Danvers Seymour Jr, the Trojans coach, believes his team is showing signs of improvement.

“The performance is getting better,” he said. “But we lose discipline and we have to play for ninety minutes and not sixty.”

Hood dominated the early exchanges but were pegged back when Corday converted on a quick break to turn the match on its head. Alton Trott, the Trojans captain, sliced the defence open with a precision pass into open space and Corday did the rest with a neat finish from inside the box.

The visitors should have doubled their advantage during another promising raid that caught Hood flat footed. However, on this occasion forward Jaz Ratteray-Smith dragged wide from six -yards with only Hood goalkeeper Jason Simons standing in his way.

The glaring miss proved costly as Hood levelled shortly after. Lejaun Simmons dribbled into space down the right channel and sent in a low cross that Outerbridge tapped in at the back post to signal game on.

The hosts then went close to taking the lead when striker Antwan Russell rattled the bar with a well struck volley from just inside of the penalty box while Yizharyah Williams, the Trojans goalkeeper, brilliantly saved Shakir Smith’s curling free kick destined for the top right corner to leave the teams tied at the half.

After a period of sustained pressure, Hood went ahead when central defender Jaylon Bather pushed forward and scored with an angled shot from inside of the side of the box that took a deflection on its way into the back of the net.

Trojans then suffered another setback when right back Jadan Ratteray-Smith went off with a hamstring injury.

By now Hood had a firm grip on the game and they would extend their lead when Outerbridge grabbed his second. Williams parried Lozendro Symonds’s effort into the path of Outerbridge who slotted into the far bottom corner from an angle.

Trojans were forced to make another unscheduled change when Jaz Ratteray-Smith went off after receiving lengthy treatment on the pitch.

With Trojans now resembling a beaten bunch, Hood went close to heaping more misery onto the visitors with Williams saving a close range blast from Mazhye Burchall and Russell dragging wide after breaking through.

SCORERS

Robin Hood

Outerbridge 25, 74, Bather 63

Somerset Trojans

Corday 14

TEAMS

Robin Hood: J Simons — S Smith, J Bather, D Leverock, J Pereira, D Andrade, L Symonds (sub: N Figureido, 78), M Burchall (sub: J Titterton, 86), E Outerbridge, L Simmons, A Russell. Substitutes not used: C Fosker. P Fronzioni

Somerset: Y Williams — J Seymour, T Ming, R Quinn, Jadan Ratteray-Smith (sub: M Jones, 69)-C Durham, A Trott, M Joell, Jaz Ratteray-Smith (sub: T Bean, 79), J Corday, V Perinchief (sub: Z Darrell, 57). Substitutes not used: J Morrissey, R Simmons, H Butterfield, J Butterfield, T Bean.

Referee: M Wyer