Dandy Town closed out their 1994-95 league campaign with a win, yet lost out on what they coveted most of all...the championship.

Needing to defeat PHC by a goal more than Boulevard beat BAA, Town came up three short, as they could only manage a two-goal advantage while the Blazers won by four.

And while the lively sounds of reggae punctuated the St. John's Road establishment, a much more sombre scene emerged in the Town dressing room because Boulevard had won the league championship.

"The reign is over, but we'll be back,'' said one unnamed supporter, attempting to look on the bright side. "If only we hadn't lost to Somerset when we had the chance to beat them at home.'' The match he referred to was a 2-0 loss at the hands of the west enders back on March 12 that dropped Town from first place, forcing them into a fruitless game of catch-up.

Still, yesterday witnessed a solid performance by the now former champs, who ran rampant against a make-shift Zebras outfit.

Goals from Ascento Russell, Darron Simons and a Mark Wade own goal accounted for the Hornets' scoring, while Winston Trott replied with a lone strike for the visitors.

With the title at stake, Town got off to a blistering start, producing several attacking forays and forcing the Zebras to back-pedal.

It was from one of these manoeuvres that Town earned a corner from which they almost opened the scoring, when Pernell Douglas forced PHC to clear his header off the line in the seventh minute after he connected on a left-wing corner by Ross Parsons.

PHC responded moments later as Jamal Robinson and Sheridan Ming had efforts of their own thwarted by Town goalkeeper Cymande Davis, both being robbed at their feet.

However, Town bolted into the lead in the 20th minute on a tragic blunder by PHC centre-back Mark Wade.

Wade's attempted back-pass from near the halfway line amounted to a perfect through-ball for Town striker Carlos Smith, who raced toward the goal-line before squaring the ball across goal for Ascento Russell to side-foot past a helpless Quincy Hunt, standing in goal for PHC.

The Hornets surged further ahead in the 36th minute, when Wade compounded his and the team's misery with an own goal.

Attempting to clear a hard, low cross from the speedy Smith, Wade merely succeeded in planting the ball in the back of his own net.

A glimmer of hope flared for the Zebras 10 minutes following the interval when Trott scored from close range to reduce the arrears to a single goal, but Simons put paid to any thought of a comeback nine minutes later, ramming one in from six yards following a goal-mouth scramble.

Dandy Town: C.Davis; D.Lewis, W.Campbell, D.Sharrieff, W.Rudo; Kurt Martin, P.Douglas, R.Parsons (S.Whitter 83 mins); C.Smith, A.Russell, D.Simons PHC: Q.Hunt; S.Trott, M.Wade, F.Ming, R.Lewis; D.Francis, B.Bean (M.Smith 62 mins), S.Ming; K.Mills, J.Robinson, W.Trott Referee: Rex Osborne Men of the match: Carlos Smith (Dandy Town), Kenny Mills (PHC) HERO AND GOAT -- Dandy Town's Carlos Smith, right, eyes PHC defender Mark Wade during their clash at St. John's field. Smith played a major part in Town's first two goals, the second of which Wade turned into his own net.