Julian Carpenter held his nerve in the third minute of stoppage time to secure Paget a stoppage-time victory over title-chasing North Village at a lively Southampton Oval on Sunday.

Paget coach Antwan Russell expressed pride in his team’s performance. “We needed these three points,” Russell said. “The team stayed together, and I think we controlled the game for the most part.”

Both teams showed attacking intent from the outset, with Paget effectively using Delray Rawlins as a direct target. Their defensive organisation forced Village to play wide in the first half, limiting midfielders Tarreko Wilson and Tre Ming’s ability to dictate the game and deliver decisive passes in the final third.

Paget’s disciplined defensive line allowed few openings, although Village occasionally broke through. Striker Jai Bean, often isolated, had to drop deeper to link play. Even when Ming and Wilson bypassed Paget’s structure, their final deliveries lacked precision or were comfortably dealt with by defenders Julian Carpenter and Rakeem Deshields.

Paget missed two clear chances in the first half. Rawlins squandered a golden opportunity from ten yards, and captain Diaje Hart’s clipped pass to Shakir Smith ended with the winger skying his effort well over the bar. Despite their subdued performance, Village entered half-time with the score level.

Village emerged stronger in the second half, adjusting their formation to involve the midfield more and deliver better service to Bean. Early in the half, Bean nearly broke the deadlock after Ming flicked a Wilson pass into his path.

Paget made a pivotal substitution, introducing Nelson Carpenter for former Somerset Trojans forward Rio Russell. The move immediately paid dividends. Hart fed Smith, who drove inside and set up Carpenter to slot a low shot past Village goalkeeper Detre Bell.

Village responded with resilience, equalising with about 15 minutes remaining. Ming’s set-piece delivery was flicked on by Tahzeiko Harris, and substitute London Steede nodded home from close range to set up a tense finale.

Paget substitute Omari Tucker, on for Rawlins, missed a chance to regain the lead after a Daniel Cook pass found Smith, who laid the ball off to Tucker just outside the box, but his effort went wide.

Village nearly clinched a late winner when Ming’s powerful strike was comfortably saved by Deshields. That save spurred Paget to push forward, culminating in the winning goal. A cross by Davis was missed by Nelson Carpenter, but Julian Carpenter was at the back post to tap in and seal the upset.

Paget held firm in the dying seconds, handing Village only their second loss of the season.

Elsewhere on Sunday, PHC took advantage of the slip-ups by North Village and Devonshire Colts to move back to the top of the Premier Division.

Second-half goals from D'Andre Wainwright and Kadeem Abraham gave PHC a 2-0 win over Young Men's Social Club.

Victory drew PHC level on 15 points with Village but they move top by virtue of conceding one fewer goal.

SCORERS

Paget Lions 2

N Carpenter 65, J Carpenter 90+3

North Village 1

Steede 74

TEAMS

Paget Lions (4-2-3-1): O Deshields 5 – K Durrant 6, R Deshields 6, J Carpenter 7, D Cook 5 – D Joell 4, T Davis 6 – R Russell 5 (sub: N Carpenter 59 7), D Hart 6, S Smith 5 – D Rawlins 5 (sub: O Tucker 83). Substitutes not used: K Hypolite, K Simons, A Russell, D Swan, P Castle. Booked: Davis, Cook.

North Village (4-2-3-1): D Bell 5 – J Chapman 5 (sub: L Steede 54 6), T Harris 5, R Sampson 5 (sub: Z Jennings-Barnett 76), K Harrison 6 – T Wilson 6, I Simmons 5 – S Spence 6, T Ming 6, K Knights 5 – J Bean 5. Substitutes not used: L Evans, J Hayward, A Dill. Booked: Bean.

Referee: O Nicholson (Jamaica).