PHC Zebras 1

Dandy Town 2

Shaun Goater made the phrase “Feed the Goat” famous with his scoring exploits at Manchester City, but cousin Tomiko Goater showed that scoring goals runs in the family after his double carried Dandy Town to a third straight FA Cup final.

The 20-year-old midfielder converted two crosses at Police Field to take his tally for the season to 15, to break the deadlock in first-half stoppage time when he met captain Angelo Simmons’s well-placed cross into the six-yard box and scored past goalkeeper Daniel Johnson.

“I guess my hard work is paying off, I’ve been at it for two or three seasons now,” Goater said. “I just have to continue to work hard.

“My goal coming into the season was double digits and it’s still not over.”

That goal was Town’s best chance in a first half that had little in the way of clear-cut chances, as the best two fell to PHC when Casey Castle just failed to meet a ball across the six-yard box in the opening minutes and then youngster Diondre Dowling blasting just over the bar late in the half.

Goater’s opener helped bring more life to the game after the restart as Cecoy Robinson, the PHC captain, continued to cause problems with his pace. In the 50th minute he ran into the box before drilling a shot across the face of the goal.

“In the first half teams were feeling out each other, nobody wanted to make any mistakes, but once we got the goal the game opened up a bit and we were able to get a second one,” Jomar Wilkinson, the Town coach, said.

Moments later Simmons was sent clear on goal by a perfect pass from midfield.

He rounded the advancing Johnson but delayed getting his shot off and the recovering Johnson was able to make an important block.

The two teams were now producing a game of the calibre expected as Jahnai Raynor’s shot dropped just over the bar as PHC kept pressing for an equaliser.

However, they were hit by a second Goater goal on the hour when the youngster ghosted into the box at the far post as Drewonde Bascome sent Damon Ming through down the right with a perfect pass. Ming’s low cross was met by Goater who side-footed home to double the Town lead.

PHC, who had already beaten Town twice in cup games this season, hit back within three minutes after Ming was booked for a foul on Marquel Waldron.

Na’eem Griffith, the PHC defender, got on the end of Robinson’s ball into the box and placed his glancing header past Mikkail Crockwell, the Dandy Town goalkeeper.

“Our dead-ball defending was atrocious to let in a goal with someone not taking up their defensive responsibilities,” Wilkinson said.

PHC tried unsuccessfully to find an equaliser as Robert Richardson pushed further forward in the final ten minutes hoping to penetrate the Town defence with his height as Zebras tried to find an equaliser.

“I have a lot of respect for PHC, they have done an excellent job this season and my hat goes off to them for what they do up there,” Wilkinson said.

“They are really evolving into something special again.

We’re very pleased with the boys for reaching the goal of making it to the FA final, now we’ll go back to the drawing board and get ready for Robin Hood.”

TEAMS

Scorers

PHC (Griffith 63)

Dandy Town (Goater 45 +1, 60)

Dandy Town (4-4-2): M Crockwell — D Williams, S Darrell, K Tucker, L Millet (sub: K Lathan, 69min) — L Tucker, D Bascome, T Goater, D Ming (sub: T Daniels, 85) — A Simmons, Q Maynard (sub: J Richardson-Martin, 69). Substitutes not used: J Swan, E Moore, O Lowe, A Lowe. Booked: Ming, K Tucker.

PHC Zebras (4-4-2): D Johnson — D Usher, D Griffith, R Richardson, J Ball — D Dowling, M Waldron (sub: R DeShields, 68), J Raynor, (sub: E Russell, 81), S Smith — C Robinson, C Castle (sub: K Bean, 89). Substitutes not used: T Hall, M Lambe, D Smith-Lightbourne, O Tucker.

Referee: E Holmes.