X-Road Warriors 1 Somerset Eagles 1

A stubborn Somerset Eagles outfit played spoilers as they forced fellow relegation contenders X-Road Warriors to come from behind to earn a draw in their Premier League match at Garrison Field on Sunday.

Looking across the pitch, X-Roads must have thought this was going to be easy pickings as the Eagles only had 10 players including player/coach, Jensen Rogers who held the goalkeeping duties. However, looks would be deceiving as the Eagles frustrated their opponents and took a surprise lead in the third minute through their target-man Shakir Smith who managed to hold off his marker and slice a shot into the far corner beyond goalkeeper Q’Shai Darrell who misjudged and thought the ball was rolling wide.

Stand-in goalkeeper Rogers denied X-Roads’ striker Donovan Thompson from point blank range after he was put through by Marcus Johnson, while Smith nearly doubled Eagles’ lead when his low shot hit the upright before rolling back in play.

Thompson had a goal-bound shot deflected for a corner as X-Roads tried to capitalise on the one man advantage.

The eleventh player finally showed up for Eagles midway through the half as X-Roads continued to push for the equaliser. They thought they had it when Thompson tapped in a free-kick at the back post but the goal was disallowed for offside. Just before the half, Hubert Butterfield thought he had doubled the Eagles’ lead with a shot from the top of the box but the goal was also disallowed as Smith had fouled goalkeeper Darrell near the edge of the area causing him to drop the ball.

X-Roads started the second half a more determined team, playing with more urgency. The pressure paid off when Thompson ran onto a Tyman Daniels’s near post cross to place his shot past a stranded Rogers. Marcus Johnson had two glaring chances to seal the points when first, he rattled the crossbar from a good build up then blasted a rebound over the top from 10 yards.

The Eagles’ chances in the second half were few and far between and by this time, they were again basically playing with 10 men as captain Anwar Telford pulled his hamstring and with no available substitutes, he was merely a spectator on the field.

With time running out, Lottimore tried a 25 yarder which grazed the crossbar as it went over and Thompson hurried his shot which went wide when well placed.

Rogers welcomed the determination showed by his team and encouraged his players to keep fighting to the end of the season.

“We showed heart today. I commend my players for their fight. Although we may go down, I want us to get some points and try not to finish last,” said Rogers.

SCORERS

X-Roads: D Thompson 60

Somerset Eagles: S Smith 3

TEAMS

X-Roads Warriors (4-2-3-1): Q Darrell 5 — L Simmons 5, J Furbert 5, A Daniels 5, R Beek 5 (sub: J Costa 83min)—-T Daniels 6, M Thomas 6 (sub: J Morgan 56, 6) — M Johnson 5 (sub: R Hare 83), D Simons 5 (sub: J Minks 76), J Lottimore 6 — D Thompson 6. Substitutes not used: A Wilson, Z McCarter, G Gibbons. Booked: M Johnson, J Morgan.

Somerset Eagles (4-2-3-1): J Rogers 6 — K Astwood 6, K Harrison 6, S Lambert 6, D Joell — A Telford 5, D Simmons 6 — R Saggar 6, S Smith 6, E Fubler 6 — H Butterfield 5.

Referee: A Francis