Devonshire Cougars 3

PHC Zebras 1

(after extra time)

An opportunistic Aljame Zuill brace and a late insurance strike from the boot of substitute Chris Caisey jr finally ended Devonshire Cougars? 32-year Friendship Trophy jinx under overcast skies at the National Sports Centre yesterday.

The Big Cats avenged their 1973 Friendship defeat to PHC Zebras in style during the dying minutes of extra-time to put the finishing touches to what has been a magical season for the newly crowned Premier Division champions.

After having three goal-bound shots cleared off the line, two goals disallowed and playing cat and mouse with their opponents for 90 minutes of absorbing football, Cougars? nocturnal instincts seemed to take over in fading light as they completely knocked the wind from Zebras? sails to finally send the elusive showpiece on its way to the Den for the first time in the club?s history.

Zebras? goal came from temperamental striker Antwon Russell right on the stroke of half-time.

Celebrating a first-ever league title just last weekend, Cougars? euphoria was raised to a higher level yesterday as they claimed a third major cup triumph since rejoining the top flight at the start of the new millennium ? thanks in no small part to some clinical finishing on the part of Zuill.

?The coach (Andrew Bascome) told me today was my day and I had to dig in deep,? the striker commented afterwards.

With a little bit of luck, Zuill could have celebrated a hat-trick but his first-half effort was ruled offside.

?I love my team and this is good, though I feel we could have played even better,? he added. ?I think we started to play their game a bit but as we went on we began to play as a team and that?s what made all the difference.?

While his charges immersed themselves in the pulsating sounds of the gombey drums, coach Bascome struggled to find words as he quietly made his way to the dressing room.

?It?s been great and the players have worked hard for this,? he told The Royal Gazette. ?Our preparations were first class and when you do things like that, then it turns things in your favour.

?I told the players before the game we would make them (Zebras) go to their bench because we knew we could take them there,? Bascome continued. ?Aljame really looked good today and he gave us a lot of mobility where we were able to capitalise especially on a big field like this. We just had to work hard and try to deliver.?

Zuill got the ball rolling for Cougars after only three minutes with the first of two well-taken goals. Seconds after Ricardo Brangman tipped a Blenn Bean howitzer over the bar, Zuill capitalised on Kori Goddard?s low cross in the middle after last defender Corey Dowling lost his footing, leaving the marksman with a clear path to goal.

The goal clearly rocked Zebras back on their heels and they were fortunate not to fall further behind when Jevone Sealey cleared a powerful Jamel Simmons header off the line and Zuill had a goal disallowed.

But methodically Zebras regrouped and began to take advantage of Cougars? ? playing with a 4-4-2 formation ? over defensive approach which eventually opened the door for the men in black right before the break.

Given room down the left side, Jahnai Raynor fired in a goal-bound shot from an angle that was met by the head of Russell who glanced the ball across the line just to make sure it found its intended destination.

Zebras held the upper hand for most of the opening half but were often denied by some timely diving saves by Brangman between the uprights.

Play was evenly shared during a scrappy second half of football, though both teams did create clear cut chances to score.

Replacing Goddard at the half, Domico Coddington wasted little time introducing himself to the Zebras defence. On three occasions the cunning forward came close to scoring and was unfortunate to have what would have been a well deserved goal disallowed down the stretch.

Zebras ?keeper Jay Smith was also called upon to thwart Zuill but it was his defender Dowling who made the save of the day, diving full-length to head Kwame Steede?s fierce drive off the line while Alale Furbert also prevented a Caisey shot from crossing the line.

At the other end, Russell missed a golden chance that came back to haunt his team-mates, slicing wide after Darius Cox slipped in the box while an off balance Dowling went a similar route minutes later to send the cup final into extra-time.

But it was here where Cougars shifted into a higher gear and capitalised on a now exhausted and cramping Zebras defence.

Zuill restored Cougars lead five minutes in added time when he lobbed his own rebound over the head of a recovering Smith who could only parry the striker?s initial attempt before sub Caisey rounded out the scoring in the second period of extra-time to put the match beyond Zebras reach.

Devonshire Cougars: R.Brangman, D.Cox, J.Simmons (R.Baker, 75 mins), J.DeShields, N.Robinson, J.Butterfield, K.Simpson, K.Steede, A.Zuill, J.Salaam (D.Codington, 45 mins), K.Goddard (C.Caisey Jr, 55 mins).

PHC: J.Smith, J.Sealey (R.Richardson, 70 mins), T.Russell, A.Furbert, C.Dowling, C.Robinson, P.Anderson, B.Bean, J.Raynor (O.Shakir, 65 mins), K.Lambe (Q.Hunt, 77 mins), A.Russell.

Yellow cards: K.Simpson, K.Steede (Cougars); A.Russell (PHC)

Men of the match: A.Zuill (Cougars); B.Bean (PHC)

Referee: Granville Bennett.