It is commonly accepted in football that a team fighting relegation must beat the other struggling teams in order to survive.

Devonshire Cougars, early season tips for the drop, managed that at Wellington Oval yesterday when two goals in each half gave them a come-from-behind victory over bottom team Hamilton Parish.

The three points proved valuable as they kept Cougars within reach of two teams above them, Devonshire Colts and Somerset. Three teams will be relegated.

Parish briefly looked like ending their winless streak when, against the run of play, they took the lead in the 17th minute. A cross from the left to the far post found Irving Burgess who played the ball back into the middle where Clevon Hill's shot was blocked before Tajmal Webb scored at the second attempt.

An outstanding diving save by Parish 'keeper Cymande Davis had prevented Cougars from taking the lead as early as the eighth minute when a well worked free kick on the edge of the box saw Ryan Swan pull the ball back for Wali Salaam to smash a low shot past the wall. Davis was equal to the task, going full stretch to his right to turn the ball around the post.

It only took Cougars two minutes to wipe out the Parish lead, when Sherritt Hewey raced through on the left, got past Davis and scrambled the ball in despite a challenge from Jamie Dill.

Some accusing fingers were pointed after that goal, but when the Parish players were not arguing with each other their play looked encouraging. They enjoyed a brief period of pressure late in the half, but it was Cougars who took the lead five minutes before the break with the best goal of the game.

Maxwell Dill pushed forward from left back and unleashed a shot from the edge of the box and Davis was left groping at thin air as the ball moved in the air on its way into the roof of the net.

That goal, and a third early in the second half by Shawn Smith, took the wind out of Parish's sails as Cougars sat on a comfortable 3-1 lead after 54 minutes. A corner on the right by Wali Salaam was headed home by Smith just as Parish were bringing on Corey Hill for Rembert Hill.

Parish battled to stay in the match as they also brought on Jamie Smith for Webb, but it was Cougars who were now controlling things. Jermaine Belboda went into referee Cal Simons' book in the 72nd minute for a sliding tackle on Stephen Coddington which stopped his run towards goal.

Still, Cougars should have scored again when Salaam had the biggest miss of the match when he raced through on a breakaway and blasted well over with only Davis to beat.

It took the First Division's oldest player -- 47 year-old Oscar Samuels - to show Salaam how to score just a minute later. Salaam played the ball behind the Parish defence for the substitute to race through and slot the ball into the bottom corner in the 75th minute.

To their credit Parish kept battling despite the three-goal deficit. But it was clearly not going to be their day when Kuma Smith smashed a shot against the far post and then Jamie Smith's shot was tipped over the bar by Tori Henry.

Referee Simons made a glaring error in the last minute when he booked Belboda a second time, this time for dissent. The red card never followed in what Simons admitted afterwards was an oversight. A one-match suspension is still likely to follow, however.

Parish: C.Davis; K.Burchall, C.Caisey, J.Dill, J.Belboda, K.Smith, L.Raynor (A.Webb 67 mins), Cl.Hill, I.Burgess, T.Webb (J.Smith 58 mins), Rem.Hill (Cor.Hill 54 mins).

Cougars: T.Henry, C.Smith, S.Smith, W.Swan, M.Dill, G.Dyer, R.Swan, S.Coddington, K.Saltus (J.Smith 23 mins), W.Salaam, S.Hewey (O.Samuels 63 mins).

Referee: Cal Simons.

Men of the match: Chris Caisey (Ham. Parish), Stephen Coddington (Cougars).