Dandy Town secured a place in the Player Development League Festive Tournament final with a 5-4 penalty shoot-out win over X-Roads at Goose Gosling Field last night.

Town will meet PHC, who defeated BAA Wanderers 4-2 in last night’s other semi-final, on New Year’s Day at the National Sports Centre at noon.

Tre Manders gave Town the lead on 34 minutes when he fired a low shot from just the outside the area past X-Road’s goalkeeper Akil Trott.

Town had several chances to kill the game off, but were punished for their profligacy when X-Roads striker Tristan Daniels tapped home from close range on 85 minutes.

Town had further opportunities to clinch the game in the dying moments, but Jahtino Martin-Richardson squandered a pair of openings, firing wide with just the goalkeeper to beat before having a point-blank effort saved by Trott.

Town will need to be more clinical when they face PHC, who were propelled into the final, thanks to two goals apiece from Marco Warren and Ryan Hassel in the earlier semi-final.

Warren struck in the 40th and 61st minutes, while Hassel found the net in the 50th and 58th minutes.

Oliver Jalen-Harvey gave BAA late hope of a comeback when he netted twice in quick succession, but PHC held firm until the final whistle.

“It is good to be in a final,” Robert Bean, the PHC coach, said. “We have a bunch of young players in this team and we wanted them to get the experience while also being competitive — and that’s what they have done.

“We had a few players under the age of 17 in the team. Most of the guys on our team in this competition are just back from schooling, but have played together before they went their separate ways and seem to like being back together.”

BAA, who replaced Wolves in the semi-finals after the latter were kicked out of the competition for fielding too many overage players, kept it tight during the early stages PHC.

Warren, the son of Dwight, the former Bermuda forward, had an early free kick just outside the area palmed away by BAA goalkeeper Jordon Casarano, after winger Casey Castle had been upended.

PHC laid siege to the BAA goal but Casarano proved equal to the task, keeping his side in the match in the early exchanges.

BAA striker Joshua Desilva had a chance ten minutes before the break but screwed his shot wide of the mark.

The breakthrough came through Warren who made no mistake from a free kick in an identical position to his previous effort.

Hassel doubled the lead early in the second half when he latched on to a pass from Castle and beat Casarano at his near post.

The lanky striker was at it again soon after, scoring at the near post for a second time, with the unsighted Casarano beaten from an acute angle as the ball came through a forest of legs.

Not to be outdone, Warren then grabbed his second, beating his marker with a precise cut-back, then sliding the ball through Casarano’s legs.

Jalen-Harvey pulled a goal back for BAA on 72 minutes, outmuscling his marker to beat PHC goalkeeper Treaz Place from close range.

He then grabbed his second two minutes later, beating Place at his near post, to throw BAA a lifeline.

It proved to be too little too late for BAA, however, with PHC advancing to the final.

“We also rested a few players for the final with the score being the way it was, but for the most part we were comfortable in our play,” Bean added.

“Even when they scored their two goals quickly, we were never really up against it.”