Devonshire Cougars 6 Somerset Trojans 0

Elisha Darrell added to his goalscoring exploits with his fourth hat-trick in top-flight football as Devonshire Cougars put Somerset Trojans to the proverbial sword in a one-sided Premier Division match on Sunday.

The 22-year-old scored the first three goals of the match inside an hour with Zari Simmons, Demetre Daniels and substitute Jesse Seymour completing the rout.

“It’s always nice to get a hat-trick,” Darrell said. “I had three more chances I probably would have put away, but I’ll take the hat-trick.”

Cougars went straight for the jugular from the opening whistle, with their full backs venturing high up the pitch to offer support in attack.

The hosts quickly grasped control and piled on the pressure in search of the breakthrough with striker Domico Coddington volleying Che’Kai Caisey’s cross just over and Darrell denied by the crossbar after latching onto Jecoa Thomas’s pass.

Right-back Trey Tucker also had his chance to get on the scoresheet after he was played through by Chris Caisey’s pass but he steered wide under pressure from advancing goalkeeper Jade Morrissey.

Daniels also went close when he struck the post after Trojans central defender Jayce Fraser was dispossessed deep in his own half.

It was virtually one-way traffic in the opening half but Trojans nearly grabbed the lead against the run of play when midfielder Ras Stafari Burrows’s shot in the box was saved by Cougars goalkeeper Keitaro Darrell at the near post.

That close call seemed to jolt Cougars and they finally opened their account when Darrell squeezed his shot in at the near post after exchanging passes with Coddington on the edge of the box.

It was Coddington who next squandered a golden opportunity when he poked wide with just Morrissey to beat and Cougars nearly paid for that missed chance when Trojans right-back Jeze Butterfield’s shot was cleared off the line by Daniels from a corner.

Trojans suffered a further setback when midfielders Ras Stafari Burrows and Kee-Zai Cann both suffered hamstring injuries in the space of eight minutes and were replaced and the visitors made a third substitute during the interval with Jaire Shields replacing midfielder Quayan Watson.

Those changes could not prevent Cougars picking up where they left off with Coddington slicing wide and Morrissey saving Darrell’s effort at the near post but it wasn’t long before Darrell completed his treble when he back-heeled the ball past Morrissey during a goalmouth scramble

Daniels made it 4-0 when he drilled in substitute Lejuan Simmons’s pass inside the box from around the penalty spot.

Cougars substitute Nayeem Simmons went close when his shot was parried on to the post by Morrissey and the hosts broke through again when substitute Seymour buried Zari Simmons’s pull-back from inside the area.

Lejuan Simmons had an effort saved before Cougars captain Zari Simmons rounded off the scoring with a brilliant finish. The midfield ace switched the ball from his left to his right boot before lashing it into the top right-hand corner to put an exclamation mark on his team’s dominant display.

“It’s always good to win,” said Cougars coach Kwame Steede. “It’s the league, but it’s one game at a time.

“This game is over so on to the next now.”

As for Darrell’s treble, Steede added: “If he would have been more clinical in the first half he would have had an earlier hat-trick. But well done, it was a well taken hat-trick.”

SCORERS

Devonshire Cougars: Darrell 24, 44, 59, Daniels 74, Seymour 83, Z Simmons 88

Devonshire Cougars (4-1-4-1): K Darrell 7 – J Thomas 7, Z White 7, Chris Caisey 8 (sub: D Williams, 66min 6), T Tucker 7 – Z Simmons 8 – D Daniels 8, J Brimmer 7 (sub: K Minors, 68 6), C Caisey 8 (sub: J Seymour, 66), E Darrell 7 (sub: L Simmons, 66 6) – D Coddington 7 (sub: N Simmons, 80). Substitutes not used: C Albouy, J Furbert-Wade.

Somerset Trojans (4-1-4-1): J Morrissey 5 – Z Saltus-Seymour 5, J Fraser 5 (sub: D Wainwright, 75), M Joell 5, J Butterfield 5 – D Ming 5 — R Stafari Burrows 5 (sub: N Rego, 29 5), K Cann 5 (sub: M Eve, 37 5), Q Watson 5 (sub: J Shields, 46 5), J Corday 5 (sub: J Brangman, 75) - S Burrows 5. Booked: Joell.

Referee: A Francis.