BAA 0 North Village 3

BAA skipper Chris Worsick may be ruing the chance he missed which would have brought his side back into the tie against FA Cup holders North Village yesterday.

With Wanderers a goal down to Dwight Warren's 30th minute tap-in, Worsick had a golden opportunity to bring the sides level at BAA Field just two minutes later.

However, though he rose like a salmon at a right wing corner, he connected like a flounder and the ball drifted harmlessly across the box instead of nestling, as it arguably should have, in the back of Daniel Johnson's net.

That let Village off the hook and although BAA battled hard and were competitive to the end, they were punished by two goals late in the second half, one a cheeky backheel from substitute Kaiwon Dill and the other a last minute free-kick from captain Keith Jennings.

“It would have been nice if it had gone in,” said Worsick afterwards of the header. “I think it will be relived by the rest of the guys as opposed to me.”

To be fair to the captain he did everything else right and on another day, against lesser opposition, it would have perhaps gone in.

On the whole the Commercial Division leaders deserved more from the game. Admittedly, they spent a lot of the time defending, but they did attack when the opportunity presented itself.

“It was always going to be a stout rearguard action,” admitted Worsick. “I think three was a little bit too much and if they had got another couple at the end that would have been unjust on the lads.

“I think we did our best out there.”

Village fielded a largely reserve side, resting many of those who figured in last weekend's Martonmere Cup triumph. But it was the veteran Warren who ran the show from the off.

He had already had and missed a couple of chances before he got his name on the scoresheet. That he was able to celebrate was largely down to a mix-up at the back between BAA ‘keeper John Dornan and his defenders.

They all went to claim a low cross from the right wing, but none managed to and the ball ran on to the unmarked Warren, who, with the defence out of the equation, was able to sidefoot into the empty net.

After Worsick's header, Village could have doubled their lead, but Dornan anticipated well and did enough to put Jason Davis off as he rushed in on goal.

At the other end, ‘keeper Johnson was regularly at sixes and sevens with back passes and had BAA's front two of Teekai Rawlins and Jamahl Mills pressured him more they might have been able to profit.

The coaching staff clearly felt the same and at half-time Mills, touted as a dangerman before the game, was taken off and replaced by the more imposing figure of Philando Hill.

The switch paid dividends almost immediately, with Hill causing the Village backline plenty of problems. Comfortable on the ball and willing to hold it up before releasing the fleet-footed Rawlins, he was able to force the pendulum back the other way.

Rawlins was clearly grateful for this co-operation and ran his legs off, chasing down defenders, haring in on back passes and creating all manner of runs in the final third.

In the 56th minute it looked like he might get his reward when Hill controlled on half-way and then released a peach of a ball down the centre for Rawlins to chase. He clearly had the legs of Village's Kofi Dill but as he sought to check inside to open up the angle for a shot, Dill was able to stick a foot in and dispossess him.

Hill went close himself with 64 minutes gone when he connected with a David Youens cross, the ball just dropping wide.

However, it was Village who would have the final say, first Dill, with his first touch, profiting from a bit of good luck in front of goal and then Jennings firing in a low free kick from just outside the box that Dornan was unable to get a hand on.

Dornan, also the club coach, explained the thinking behind the switch of Mills for Hill at half-time.

“We felt Mills just wasn't in the game,” he said. “We felt we needed to change it a bit and give us a bit more bite. Phil had been injured last week and we wanted to start with the same starting 11 as we did last week to be fair to everybody. But we brought him on at half-time to give us that bit extra up front.

“Rawlins ran tirelessly and gave his all and that was what we said we needed the front two guys to do before the game, for them and everyone in the team to give it 100 percent and we did.”

“They got a couple of goals at the end, but otherwise I thought we played well. I think we can be happy with our performance,” he added.

“Realistically, we were never going to get there but we had a couple of chances in the first half. It was one of those things. You have to take those chances.

“But at the same time we gave a good account of ourselves and the Commercial League. Hopefully, at the end of the day people will look at the result and say ‘Oh, the Commercial League isn't bad at all'.”