Hamilton Parish 2

Dandy Town 1

Donovan Thompson scored one and set up another as Hamilton Parish toppled Premier Division leaders Dandy Town at Wellington Oval yesterday to climb out of the relegation zone.

Thompson provided the telling pass to Shayne Hollis who gave the home side the lead in the 46th minute.

The livewire striker then scored what proved to be the winner six minutes later with arguably the best goal of a game. Town replied through a 68th-minute Keoki Cann own goal that set the stage for a nervy finish as the visiting side pressed for an equaliser.

But in the end, Parish would not be denied a fourth league win of the season that lifted them two places off the bottom of the table into eighth place.

The menacing Thompson was a constant thorn in Town’s side with his vision, relentless pace and off the ball movement that stretched the visiting side’s defence to create space for his team-mates to run into.

“They had no answer for Donovan today,” Kieshon Smith, the Parish coach, said. “He manhandled the two centre backs and that allowed him to get the upper hand on them.”

Despite suffering only their second league loss of the season, Town maintained their lead at the top of the table on goal difference over Somerset Trojans.

Town looked the better side during the early exchanges and nearly grabbed the lead when striker Angelo Simmons curled a shot against an upright with Nigel Burgess, the Parish goalkeeper, a mere spectator. The home side were nearly pegged back moments before the break when K’wonde Lathan, the Town midfielder, went close with a header that required a fine save by Burgess.

Whatever half-time speech Smith delivered did not take long to sink in, as Hollis slotted past Treadwell Gibbons Jr, the Town goalkeeper, from a slight angle after being put through by Thompson just seconds into the second half. Thompson then doubled the Parish lead with a brilliant solo effort. With his back to goal, the striker rolled his marker before firing past Gibbons with his second touch after spotting the goalkeeper off his line.

Town, though, refused to roll over and, with their opponents content to “park the bus” in their own half, mounted wave after wave of attacks in search of a way back.

The pressure eventually told when Cann turned Simmons’s cross into his own goal to throw the visiting side a lifeline. The goal clearly rattled Parish, who breathed a huge sigh of relief after Lathan’s shot from close range took a wicked deflection off a defender, bounced on to the crossbar and went out for a corner.

Town substitute Temiko Wilson then headed over from close range just moments before Martin Wyer, the referee, blew the final whistle.