The Premier Division relegation battle became even more intriguing after last-placed Devonshire Cougars picked up their second win of the season against free-falling Southampton Rangers at Devonshire Recreation Club last night.

Goals either side of half-time from Lamont Brangman and Mark Steede enabled Cougars to close the gap on the teams above them and throw the survival battle wide open.

“We cannot afford to slip up against the teams around us, we need to beat them,” Omar Butterfield, the Cougars assistant coach, said.

“Our aim is to finish mid-table and continue to rebuild. It’s not going to be easy, but we are confident we can achieve that.”

Butterfield was delighted that his team started the new year on the front foot and hopes they can keep their momentum going.

“This was a big, big win for us, bigger than some may realise,” Butterfield said.

“We are trying to build on the success we had in the Player Development Tournament, which we won over the Christmas holiday.

“We are just trying to keep the momentum going and so every game is like a final to us. This was a big result for us and keeping a clean sheet makes it even better.”

The scoreline flattered to deceive as the visiting side dominated possession and carved out enough chances to come away from the match with something to show for the effort.

“It was a good game and respect to Rangers,” Butterfield said. “I thought my team played well but can still do better.”

Cougars have been dogged by injuries this season and their woes continued last night with Brangman added to the casualty list after pulling his hamstring in the first half.

“It’s been hard dealing with the amount of injuries we have had,” Butterfield said. “We’ve had to change the team as we go along because of the number of injuries we have, which has not been easy for us.”

Cougars remain bottom of the table on goal difference.