John Barry Nusum could find little fault with Robin Hood’s performance against Dandy Town as his side got their title defence off to a winning start.

A first-half penalty from Antwan Russell and a superb Chris Caisey lob handed Hood a deserved victory over Town in the league opener at Goose Gosling Field on Saturday night. Nusum’s only slight gripe with Hood’s promising display was that they did not win by a greater margin.

“When you’re up one nothing you want to get that second goal and we had two or three chances that we should have put away,” said Nusum, who replaced Kyle Lightbourne as Hood coach in the summer.

“I was glad when we got the second and thought we played well.”

Hood were perhaps slightly fortuitous to be awarded a penalty in the eighteenth-minute by referee Lionel Cann after Eusebio Blankendal tripped the overlapping Shakir Smith on the edge of the box.

Russell made no mistake from the spot, slotting past Hornets’ new goalkeeper Troy Hall, much to the derision of the away supporters behind the goal who felt their side had been hard done by. Nusum agreed that Hood had been the beneficiaries of a contentious refereeing call.

“We got a bit lucky to get the penalty to put us up 1-0 at the half, so that worked out in our favour,” Nusum said.

Town were restricted to few scoring chances by the Hood defence, well marshalled by Danté Leverock, making his league debut for the home side, and the returning Jaylon Bather. Both players spent last season at English non-League side Ilkeston.

The closest Town, coached by Wayne Baxter in the absence of Kwame Steede, came to equalising was from a left-wing cross by Daeshun Butterfield that captain Angelo Simmons failed to get on the end of.

Striker Russell then missed a great chance to double Hood’s lead when he rounded Hall before watching his weak effort cleared off the line by recovering defender Neil Smith.

After the break Russell went close again, side-footing wide from a difficult angle after rounding Hall.

The two-goal cushion finally came in the 80th minute when Caisey made an unchecked run from midfield and lifted a long pass from full back Joe Pereira over the outrushing Hall.

TEAMS

Robin Hood: J Smith, J Perreira, D Leverock, J Bather, S Smith, C Caisey, C Ryan (sub: L Symonds, 78min), Z Burgess, L Simmons (sub: E Outerbridge, 80),

A Russell, M Burchall. Booked: Smith.

Dandy Town: T Hall, K Lathan, K Simmons, N Smith, E Blankendal, E Trott (sub: G Liburd, 88), A Simmons, D Ming, D Russell, I Coke, D Butterfield (sub: D Walker, 70). Substitutes not used: J Manders, G Dyer, S Campbell,

G Butterfield, C Tear.

Referee: L Cann