Log In

Reset Password
BERMUDA | RSS PODCAST

Eagles climb highest on dramatic final day

Mission accomplished: Anwar Telford lifts the First Division trophy at Devonshire Recreation Club as Larry Mussenden, the Bermuda Football Association president, left, and Stephen Coddington, the BFA competitions committee chairman, show their appreciation (Photograph by Stephen Wright)

Somerset Eagles have won the First Division title after leapfrogging leaders Flanagan’s Onions on the final weekend of the season.

Marlon Rojas’s side, who trailed Onions by one point going into yesterday’s final matches, thrashed hapless Wolves 6-0 to take advantage of Onions’ slip-up away to St David’s.

Eagles had to wait a nervous few minutes while the final score at Lord’s filtered through — a 3-1 win for St David’s — to trigger jubilant scenes at Devonshire Recreation Club.

Nathan Rego, 16, struck a hat-trick for Eagles to take his tally to 20 goals in all competitions for the season, narrowly losing out to Clay Darrell, of Young Men’s Social Club, for the league’s top scorer award.

Also finding the net for Eagles were Khimo Harrison, Rashaun Seaman and Allan Wilkinson.

Roger Lee, the Eagles assistant coach, said he was thrilled his side had returned to the top flight after a five-year absence.

“We’re very, very pleased as our goal was to get promoted this season,” Lee said. “The boys have been able to accomplish that and now we’ve been able to accomplish winning the league.

“I’m very proud of the players, the club and the community.”

Lee believes Eagles have enough quality in their ranks to hold their own in the Premier Division next season.

“We do have some quality and I think if the boys apply themselves we can do well next season,” he said.

“We just need to continue to grow and if we train hard and prepare well there’s no reason why we can’t compete.

“It’s good to be back in the top flight as we were hoping to return at some point. We’ve been working towards that for the past five years. Hopefully there’s a bright future ahead for us.”

Mick Ward, the Onions coach, admitted his side’s defeat to St David’s had “taken a little shine off our season”.

“We knew we had to come here and win, but unfortunately it wasn’t to be,” Ward said.

“But our first priority was to get promoted and we’re absolutely delighted to have achieved that at the first attempt and we look forward to next season.”

Ward added: “We picked up some good players during the pre-season and they played fairly well, and I think that was probably the key.”

Onions were pipped to the title after slumping to their third league loss of the season and first since November 29.

Onions played poorly in the first half and St David’s took full advantage, taking the lead after only four minutes through an Allan Douglas Jr strike.

Diego McCallan doubled the home side’s lead in the eighteenth minute with a spectacular volley from 25 yards.

Onions finally got into a groove in the second half and bombarded the St David’s’ goal in a desperate attempt to get back into the match.

Their relentless pressure eventually told in the 77th minute when Phil Matthews, the Onions captain, rose at the back post to head home substitute Corey Davies’s corner kick.

Onions pressed harder in search of an equaliser but were stopped in their tracks in the 88th minute when Douglas broke away down the middle and found McCallan, who slotted into an empty net.

Young Men’s Social Club drew 2-2 with BAA at PHC Field while St George’s were awarded a 3-0 victory after Paget Lions turned up to their match at Southampton Oval with just five players.