Devonshire Colts 1

Robin Hood 2

A late header from Lejuan Simmons earned ten-man Robin Hood a fourth straight victory against Devonshire Colts at Police Field yesterday.

Hood dusted off the disappointment of last week’s Dudley Eve Trophy final defeat against PHC Zebras with a gutsy performance, made all the more impressive after the early sending-off of Nathan Peskett.

It was Peskett who opened the scoring in the fifth minute with a clinical left-foot finish after latching onto a superb through ball by his midfield partner Daniel Andrade.

Peskett went from hero to villain in the 22nd minute when he was dismissed for violent conduct by Lyndon Raynor, the referee, in the aftermath of an aerial challenge with Justin Maybury, the Colts defender.

It was the second time this season Peskett, who appeared to tread on Maybury, had been sent off at Police Field, having received his marching orders after picking up two yellow cards against Boulevard in a Premier Division game last month.

And it was the second successive game Hood have found themselves at a numerical disadvantage in the first half, having been reduced to ten men in the Dudley Eve Trophy final at Wellington Oval when Antwan Russell was sent off for the same offence.

Kyle Lightbourne, the Hood coach, said he was concerned about his side’s disciplinary record this season.

“We have to look at that and try to sort it out,” Lightbourne said. “We need to keep our discipline better.”

Hood looked to make things scrappy after Peskett’s sending-off, occasionally hitting their opponents on the break through Simmons and Kenneth DeSilva, but were pegged back after a piece of individual brilliance from Kyle Jones.

The Colts striker struck a bouncing ball from 30 yards out which flew into the top corner of the net, leaving the Jason Simons, the Hood goalkeeper, with no chance.

Lightbourne admitted at that stage he would have been more than happy with a point, although his team had other ideas, restoring their lead in the 87th minute from a set piece.

Marcelo Thomas’s corner to the back post was headed back across goal by Jaylon Bather, the Hood captain, with Simmons stooping low to guide his header past Gregory Rose, the Colts goalkeeper.

The victory keeps Hood in second place, just one point behind Dandy Town Hornets, who rescued a draw away to Southampton Rangers after coming back from three goals down.

“When they made it 1-1 you’re thinking ‘Colts go on and win the game, but we showed inner strength and our players don’t know when they are beaten.

“Of course, I would have taken a point at that stage; Colts were undefeated and work hard for one another.

“I told my guys what to expect from them, although Colts weren’t quite their normal aggressive selves today.”