24-year drought for Devonshire Colts as First Division champions.

Despite the difference in eras and playing style, the feeling remains the same -- everyone loves a winner.

For Jeff Richardson, the one time forward with the powerful right boot, last Saturday was just as much a magic moment as it was for those players on the pitch.

After watching from the sidelines for 90 minutes, eagerly awaiting a final whistle that would confirm Colts as champions, Richardson was quick to join in the celebrations.

"I was ecstatic,'' said Richardson, whose career stretched from 1975 to 1991, taking in victories in the Dudley Eve and Friendship Trophy competitions but never the league.

"It's something I always tried to accomplish when I was at Devonshire Colts and it always eluded me.

"A point here, a point there would have won it for us but it never happened...I was a bridesmaid all my life.'' Indeed the bridesmaid tag seemed permanently attached to the Devonshire club -- called often but never chosen. The year 1993 typified Colts' fortunes in recent times as they made the finals of both the FA Cup and Friendship and had a real shot at the league title yet came away empty handed, falling to Boulevard and North Village in the cup competitions while being nosed out by a point for the league by Somerset.

And at times this season it would have been hard to commit fully to Colts being champions as they surrendered opportunities in all of the cups and in the end were left only to contend in the league.

Richardson put this year's success down to team unity and the securing of national squad goalkeeper Troy Hall.

"I think the guys are playing together. Defensively they're as strong as they've ever been and offensively they're stronger in terms of scoring more goals. And Troy Hall joining the team has had a great impact as well,'' said Richardson, who claimed championships in his other chosen sport, cricket, as a member of Western Stars.

"He sends confidence through a team. Playing under Dick Dane, one thing he always told our goalkeepers was that `if players have confidence in you it will filter through the team'. And that's one thing I've believed in, and one of the problems Devonshire Colts have had over the years is that we've had good goalkeepers and a bad defence or vice versa and we weren't scoring enough goals. This year they put it all together and shut teams out.'' Meanwhile, Ellsworth Lambert a member of the 1973 squad that captured both the league and FA Cup noted the achievement as just reward for the determination and fight shown throughout the season.

Ironically it was on the same day, March 22, 1973, that Colts were last able to celebrate such a victory, with Lambert producing the winning goal in a 2-0 defeat of PHC. Lambert latched onto a ball in the Zebras' midfield and split two defenders before unleashing a blistering volley into the back of the net.

"I think it's been a long time coming,'' said Lambert, who began his career in the early 1970s as a forward and later converted to full back. "It was a deserved championship, because I feel the guys have been playing the best soccer on the Island just about all season and I think it's largely come through the in-house process of players progressing through the ranks.

"They've shown a lot of discipline and general skills developed through the years in Colts' programmes.'' As for the future, Lambert saw no reason why they could not repeat and possibly collect even more silverware next season.

"Most of all they have to maintain their attitude and discipline. Knowing how young those guys are -- they've won this while perhaps being four or five years younger than we were when we won our championship -- all they need to do is stay together and improve on what they've got already,'' he said.

Richardson and Lambert both said it was difficult to compare this year's crop with that of bygone times, with Richardson describing the current batch as one of steady role players as opposed to those of the `73 team which was loaded with stars of the day such as Gary Darrell, Marcus Douglas, Albert Dowling and Lambert.

Lambert ventured to say that the 1997 side probably possessed more skill, but, "they need to show that they're good players by winning more and more trophies, that will be the test and will speak for itself.''