Key West blunder edges door open for Onions
A last-minute blunder by goalkeeper Jason Robinson consigned Key West to defeat on Tuesday night and helped breathe new life into the Commercial A championship race.
The team were then left to watch as titleholders MR Onions beat fellow challengers Lobster Pot 1-0.
Key West captain Ricky Mallory, who was left nursing an injury which could keep him out for the rest of the season, said his team were too complacent beforehand believing the title was already theirs.
Despite that, Key West went one-up early in the game when Sergio Griffin followed up a parried Paul Towlson shot but Hood drew level when Robinson let in a weak Dale Brangman effort.
And in the dying seconds he let a Pernell Brangman defensive backheader slip through his legs to consign his side to defeat.
A frustrated Mallory said: ?It was harder for him to do what he did than to pick it up.?
However the former Bermuda international believes his team are still odds-on for the title, even though the BFA has banned them from replaying the Dandy Town Roots tie which was abandoned for lack of a ref.
Mallory said nobody had wanted to volunteer and his team had been unaware of the strict rules.
His team face Valley and Robin Hood again in the final run-in.
MR Onions are three points behind after beating Lobster Pot in windy conditions despite early scares which saw Pot striker Dave Allison fail to capitalise after blunders by the men in orange and black.
Onions settled and took the lead from a ball through the middle saw Colin Keane force a save from the Pot keeper. The ball fell at the feet of John Lally who finished into an open goal.
A tight second half saw Onion captain Steve Smith head off his line from a corner.
Despite the win, Smith believes Key West are ?virtually guaranteed? the title.
But he added: ?Both Hood and Valley are decent teams that can produce on the day.?
His team face Tuff Dogs and relegated St. George?s in the run-in but Key West also have a 19-goal advantage in goal difference.
Smith said: ?Tuff Dogs had decent result at the weekend against St. George?s.
?We?ve struggled to raise a team the last few games with ten players injured or off the Island at the moment.?
MR Onions president Chris Fleming added: ?We?re looking to win our last two games and hoping that Key West slip up. Being realistic, we?re not expecting Key West to drop points in their last two games ? they?ve played the best football in the league this year and deserve to win it.?