Devonshire Cougars 1

PHC Zebras 1

(PHC win 5-3 on penalties after extra time)

Super-sub Sean Fubler struck deep into injury time to answer coach Kyle Lightbourne's prayers and inspire PHC to a dramatic penalty shoot-out victory over Devonshire Cougars in the Martonmere Cup final.

The midfield powerhouse battered through Cougars' weary defence using a mixture of brute force and fancy footwork, before poking past the out-rushing keeper to send Lightbourne tearing around his dug-out in a delirious celebratory dance.

Lightbourne enveloped PHC's saviour in a huge hug after their nail-biting penalty win and described Fubler as potentially one of the best players in Bermuda.

"Sean hasn't played much this season and has had to wait for his chance," said Lightbourne. "He has lots of ability and I believe he can be one of the best players on the Island, but we've had to get him fit. We spoke to him at the start of the season and told him he could become an important player for PHC and he changed the game for us."

With only seconds of injury-time remaining Cougars seemed destined to make a successful defence of their title especially when Zebras' Cecoy Robinson missed a glaring opportunity to drag his side level late on, sending a close-range effort wide of the post.

But Fubler, who entered the fray just before half-time replacing the injured Jevone Sealey, had other ideas with his virtuoso effort rubbing out Darius Cox's 44th-minute free-kick which stand-in keeper Jay Smith inexplicably let squirt through his gloves.

Smith, currently deputising for the injured Raymon Glasford, could have been forgiven for wanting the Somerset Cricket Club's ground to open up and swallow him after his blooper. But credit to the keeper he showed real character, quickly recovering to pull off an audacious tip around the post from Raymond Beach's point-blank header to prevent PHC from further damage.

In truth, neither team had played particularly in the opening 45 minutes and the second half continued in a similarly cagey fashion with nothing between them. Raymond Beach, ploughing a lone furrow in attack, had the best chance for Cougars but the feet of Smith foiled his effort from just inside the area.

Chances were few and far between for PHC also and Robinson's profiligacy seemed as though it would prove costly until Fubler's intervention sent the clash into extra time and penalties.

The unfortunate Josh Butterfield struck the outside of the post with Cougars second penalty before PHC's skipper Chris Furbert slotted home his side's fifth and final effort to kick-start the jubilant celebrations.

"It's always difficult to lose in a penalty shoot-out and of course we're very disappointed," said a downbeat Cougars coach Shawn Smith. "But we've had trouble in the past holding on until the final whistle. I thought the game was pretty even. They put some good crosses over in the second half, but there wasn't much in it."

Devonshire Cougars: R.Brangman, J.Butterfield, K.Franks, J.DeShields, D. Cox, A.Gibbons, D.Coddington (K Goddard 85), R.Robinson, K.Steede, R.Beach (K.Tucker 70 mins), T.Steede (S. Minors 87).

PHC: J.Smith, K.Richards, C.Dowling, O.Shakir, I.Barry, J.Ball, J.Sealey (S.Fubler 44), C.Furbert, J.Franklin (R. Lightbourne 63), D.Russell (K. Lewis 65), C. Robinson

Referee: G.O'Brien

Men of the match: D.Cox (Devonshire Cougars), O.Shakir (PHC).