Somerset Trojans 2 X-Roads 1

Two first-half goals from Jaden Rattery-Smith and Dion Stovell gave Somerset Trojans victory over X-Roads at Somerset Cricket Club yesterday.

The Trojans were made to sweat in the second half, when Andre Burgess replied for X-Roads, but they were still able to hang on for the victory.

This means that the Trojans have now recorded back-to-back victories after their 2-1 win away at Southampton Rangers last weekend. Perhaps buoyed by last weekend’s result, the Trojans came out firing on all cylinders right from the first whistle.

And their early initiative brought rewards, almost immediately. In this same fixture last season, Jaden Ratteray-Smith had scored within the first five minutes for Somerset, and today, lighting struck twice, as he once again gave Somerset an early lead.

After he had made a late run into the box from midfield, he received a layoff from his older brother, Jaz Rattery-Smith, and calmly placed the ball into the net. Having found the opening goal, Somerset immediately went in search of a second. Stovell and Jaz Ratteray-Smith were at the heart of most of the Trojans’ attacking moves.

Stovell had scored both of his team’s goals last weekend, and he looked hungry to add to his tally this week. He had two good chances, in succession, to score. One of them was a curling shot, on the turn, which hit the crossbar. In the 21st minute, X-Roads had their first clear chance of the match, but Tyman Daniels put his powerful header just wide of goal.

A minute later, Somerset would make X-Roads pay for that miss. A mix-up in the visitors’ defence allowed the ball to fall to Stovell, five yards out from goal, and he made no mistake.

After Stovell’s goal, the game, strangely, quieted down, a bit. X-Roads were forced in to a substitution when Jai Burgess got injured and had to be replaced by Chioke Hayward for the remainder of the half.

The second half followed a similar pattern to the first, with Somerset again starting strong. Jaz Ratteray-Smith, having set-up his younger brother’s goal two minutes into the first half, almost added his own name to the scoresheet, two minutes into the second half.

The older Ratteray-Smith has been quite clinical for Somerset, having already scored five goals this season, so when he raced into the penalty box and chipped the ball towards the goal, it seemed like he was destined to score. However, goalkeeper Dashun Cooper pulled off a smart reflex save to deny Ratteray-Smith.

After Cooper’s great save, the momentum of the game changed. Patrick Richardson pounced on a loose ball in the Trojans defence, but blazed his shot over the goal and then Daniels had a powerful shot saved by the Trojans goalkeeper and then Donavan Thompson missed a good chance.

The Trojans had lost their foothold in the match, but were still managing to withstand everything that X-Roads were throwing at them. That is, until the Warriors, produced a simply stunning goal.

Burgess, the X-Roads defender, struck a powerful free kick from the right, which flew into the Trojans’ net, in the blink of an eye. Coincidentally, the Trojans had just made a double substitution right before X-Roads took their free kick.

Trojans picked up two late bookings for Jahquille Stowe and Makai Joell, as they fought for the win.

In the end, the home side did just enough, and they secured the victory.

SCORERS

Somerset Trojans: Jaden Ratteray-Smith 2, Stovell 22

X-Roads: A Burgess 71

TEAMS

Somerset Trojans (4-3-3): D Crockwell — K Sharrieff-Hayward, T Ming, J Stowe, R Quinn — Jaden Ratteray-Smith, D Swan (sub: D Seymour, Jr, 69min), M Joell — Jaz Ratteray-Smith, D Stovell (sub: D’Andre Wainwright, 69), D Darrell (sub: J Butterfield, 84). Substitutes not used: C Durham, V Perinchief, T Sharrieff-Hayward, Y Williams. Booked: Joell, Stowe.

X-Roads (4-2-3-1): D Cooper — A Cannonier, J Furbert, J Burgess (sub: C Hayward, 43), A Burgess — C McDowall, T Daniels — A Heyliger, D Thompson, V Capitillo (sub: T Perinchief, 49) — P Richardson. Substitutes not used: S Burgess, J Lottimore, D Scott-Woolridge, S Thomas, K Wilkinson.

Referee: Garic Swainson.