PHC Zebras 1

North Village 1

North Village's Elliott Jennings was the happier of the two coaches after watching his team come away with a point against an in-form PHC Zebras side in a pulsating, top-of-the-table clash at Southampton Oval yesterday.

In a match that had just about everything, including two goals, a penalty and two efforts that hit the woodwork, Village went ahead through a Ralph Bean first-half penalty, before Dennis Russell restored parity after the interval to ensure both teams' unbeaten records remain intact. Village have won two and drawn two, while PHC's record reads won one, drawn three.

But PHC coach Jack Castle, on the other hand, was left rueing his side's wasted chances and two crucial offside decisions that went against them.

"I just thought we were unlucky in the second half," he said. "I thought the guys did quite well to pull the one-goal deficit back and I think we were just unfortunate not to have won the game in the end."

And he was not impressed with the referee's decision to award the Village penalty in the first place.

"For me, if that is the top referee in the country, then I have a whole lot of questions about how the game is officiated today," he said.

Overall though, he was just pleased with the way his team got back into the game and believes they are still in a position to challenge for title honours, come the end of the season.

"I thought in the first half we started slowly and I said if we were going to play, we have to for 90 minutes," he said.

"I said, if Village come all the way up to the Southampton Oval to play us, the best they were going to get was a point and I think we are in a good position in the league now."

Elliott Jennings, in contrast, was relieved to have hung on for a share of the spoils after his sustained long periods of pressure from a rampant Zebras outfit.

"We hung on," he said. "They made us work and they never let up. It is a small pitch, which is conducive for how they play and at the end of the day I am glad for the point."

And he is prepared for the long haul with a quarter of the season gone and matters still very tight at the top of the table.

"It is a long season and we are still in good shape with some more players to come in," he said. "With everything so tight at the moment, you are always going to get games like that."

Village started the brighter and almost took the lead as early as the first minute when Ralph Bean raced into the penalty area, but his shot was turned behind by PHC keeper Jay Smith.

Barely a minute later the visitors' Keith Jennings turned his man on the left-hand flank, only to see his strike skim the bar.

But moments later Chris Furbert had the home side's first chance after pouncing on a loose ball, but he put it just wide of the right hand post.

At this stage it was all Village and Vernon Tankard was unlucky to see his inswinging corner tipped over by Smith in the PHC goal, before the hosts' Corey Downing had to be at his best to deny Robert Wilson's downward header with a goal line clearance, all inside the first 15 minutes.

The away side's pressure told midway through the first period as the referee adjudged Downing to have tripped Jennings in the box and Bean stepped up to send Smith the wrong way and put Village one goal to the good.

Then the course of the game changed as the Zebras went straight back up the other end, but Raynel Lightbourne was foiled by the visitors' number one Jason Williams and then a second effort was pushed behind by the alert Williams as the first 45 minutes came to a close.

But there was to be more drama after the break with Russell putting PHC back on level terms as he fired past Williams on the hour mark.

It was substitute Cecoy Robinson's turn to try his luck next, but he too was thwarted by handling skills of Williams on no less than two occasions.

PHC's profligacy in front of goal proved to be their undoing, when both Omar Shakir and then Robinson, who did all the hard work by beating Williams, only to see his attempt come back off the upright, spurned golden opportunities to secure the win.

PHC: J.Smith, K.Richards, C.Downing, O.Shakir, I.Barry, J.Sealey (C.Robinson 49mins), C.Furbert, G.Bean, D.Russell, J.Ball, R.Lightbourne (A.Grant 74).

North Village: J.Williams, J.Boyles, V.Tankard, R.Spence (S.Goater 81), M.Piper, R.Wilson, Kofi Dill, Kijuan Dill, K.Jennings, R.Bean, J.Jennings (N.Smith 15).

Referee: A.Francis.

Men of the match: Jonathan Ball (PHC), Ralph Bean (Village).