Young Men’s Social Club 4 Devonshire Cougars 3

Young Men’s Social Club withstood a late fightback by rivals Devonshire Cougars to pick up three vital points and put themselves in pole position for Premier Division survival at Police Field on Sunday.

The game hung in the balance after Cougars forward Domico Coddington headed home fa free-kick in second half stoppage time to make it 4-3 and the away side pressed in search of an equaliser, going close when Social Club goalkeeper Ryan Evans tipped Coddington’s well-struck effort over the bar with the last kick of the game.

Social Club squandered a two-goal lead twice during an action-packed contest that they should have won comfortably given the plethora of clear-cut opportunities they created.

Striker David Jones Jr was Social Club’s hero as he bagged his first hat-trick in the top flight with captain Ryan Parris converting their other goal from a set piece. Cougars replied through a Coddington brace, while striker Elisha Darrell was also on target.

“It’s always good to contribute for the team and we all played well,” Jones told The Royal Gazette.

“We all had to defend strong because they didn’t let us get it easy, so we worked hard and we got it done.

“That was a stressful one but we got there in the end. It was just about hard work and putting in the tackles and then putting it home.”

Cougars captain Zeko White felt his side deserved to come away from the match with at least a share of the spoils.

“We had a makeshift team with certain guys not here but still could have at least got something out of it,” he said. “But that’s how it goes.”

The result leaves Social Club three points clear of Somerset Trojans in the table but they will need a point from their final game against Hamilton Parish to guarantee survival with the west end side boasting a superior goal difference.

Social Club made a dream start when Jones broke the deadlock in the first minute after Cougars goalkeeper Kenneth DeSilva failed to control a back-pass with Jones pouncing on the loose ball to slot into the empty net and they went close to going further ahead but DeSilva tipped defender Teron Butterfield 40-yard blast over the bar. Jones thumped the post from the resulting corner.

Coddington brought the teams level eight minutes later against the run of play when he ran on to a long ball and fired past the exposed Evans.

The game opened up thereafter with both teams creating opportunities and Social Club midfielder Giniko Butterfield striking the bar.

Cougars were denied a penalty after defender Zion Simmons went down in the area, while at the other end a wide-open Jones squandered a golden opportunity right in front of goal.

Coddington had another shot saved at the near post while Jones could not believe his luck when his free kick from the edge of the box crashed on to the crossbar.

Jones’s persistence finally paid off when he controlled Giniko Butterfield’s diagonal cross on his chest on the left side of the box with his back to goal and lashed the ball past DeSilva on the turn to restore the home side’s lead which they took into the break.

Both teams continued to create and waste good possessions and opportunities when play resumed as the game remained evenly poised before Social Club were forced to make an unscheduled change when central defender Callan Woolridge suffered a blow to the head after challenging for an aerial ball.

The home side appeared to have put the match beyond reach when Jones pounced on a partial clearance in the box and fired home in heavy traffic, but it was game on again when Darrell buried his free kick from the edge of the box inside the far post to make it 3-2.

Social Club restored their two-goal advantage also from a free kick before Coddington grabbed his second in stoppage time to keep Cougars in the hunt before he was denied the equaliser by Evans’s spectacular save right on the final whistle.

SCORERS

Young Men’s Social Club: Jones 1, 40, 72, Parris 86

Devonshire Cougars: Coddington 9, 90+2, Darrell 77

TEAMS

Young Men's Social Club (4-4-2): R Evans 7 – T Butterfield 7, C Woolridge 7 (sub: J Richardson, 64min 7), K Butterfield 7, B Swan 7 – J Johnson 7, G Butterfield 7, R Parris 8, A Gardner 7 (sub: K Rawlings, 75 7)- D Jones Jr 8, J Hardtman 7 (sub: M Wilson, 75 7). Substitutes not used: Keshun Butterfield, K Smith, C Hardtman. Booked: Woolridge, Kelvon Butterfield.

Devonshire Cougars (4-1-4-1): K DeSilva 6 – Zion Simmons 7, L Millett 7 (sub: D Simmons, 60 7), Z White 7, J Fox 7 – M Thomas 7 – D Daniels 7, J Brimmer 7, S Burrows 7 (sub: C Brangman, 60 7), D Coddington 8 – E Darrell 7. Substitutes not used: Zari Simmons, J Wade. Booked: Brimmer, Coddington, Z Simmons, Thomas, D Simmons, Darrell.

Referee: T Simons.