Robin Hood 2 Somerset Trojans 0

Tomiko Goater and Phillip Parsons were the toast of Robin Hood after scoring in the Dudley Eve Trophy final at Wellington Oval to help their side win the competition for the first time at the weekend.

Goater opened the scoring early in the second half before Parsons added a second in added time to see off a stubborn Somerset Trojans, who were reduced to ten men after goalkeeper Shaquille Bean received a second booking for a rash tackle on Hood defender Colin Ryan.

“It was goalless for the most part and that frustrated us a lot,” John Barry Nusum, the Hood coach, said. “Lucky for us, we got that first goal that settled us down a little bit and then got a second late on to put the game to bed.”

While the scoreline suggested a close affair, it was anything but as a dominant Hood wasted numerous chances, particularly in the first half when they struck the woodwork.

Hood dominated the early exchanges but were nearly rocked when Somerset broke on the counter. Vernon Perinchief delivered a cross from the right which D’Andre Wainwright scuffed with only Dale Eve, the Hood goalkeeper, to beat.

The close call jolted Hood into life as they picked up the tempo in search of the breakthrough. Hood defender Casey Castle overlapped down the right flank and passed to Lejuan Simmons, the Hood captain, who fired over the bar.

Aaron Nelson, the Hood winger, also failed to convert a breakaway after latching onto a long ball, while Antwan Russell, the Hood striker, dragged wide after a poor clearance by the Trojans defence.

These missed opportunities nearly came back to haunt Hood. Khyree Hollis, the Somerset winger, sent Wainwright in the clear, however, the Bermuda Under-20 striker’s shot gave Eve no trouble.

Hood kept creating chances at the other end, with Simmons and Goater causing Bean some concern while Nelson was denied by the near post.

The game opened up just before the break with Simmons missing a chance after a defence-splitting pass from Russell, while Somerset’s appeal for a penalty after Hollis went down under a challenge from Shakir Smith fell on deaf ears.

Whatever encouragement Nusum gave his players during the interval seemed to do the trick as Goater finally made the breakthrough. The Hood forward controlled Castle’s pass and created just enough room before firing past Bean.

Hood managed the game superbly from then on to protect their advantage, with clear-cut chances few and far between.

Somerset’s afternoon went from bad to worse when Bean was sent off. The goalkeeper left his box and dribbled the ball upfield and caught Ryan with a late tackle, which left referee Anthony Francis with no option but to send the player off.

A rare mental lapse nearly brought Somerset level. Eve kicked the ball straight at Trojans substitute Jaz Ratteray-Smith but redeemed himself after diving to his left to make a fingertip save. Parsons then doubled Hood’s advantage with a neat finish in added time.

“I think we lost the game on our own misfortune,” Musceo Hunt, the Somerset coach, said.

“We missed a couple of opportunities, which I definitely think would have put a lot of pressure on Hood. But I am very proud of the fellas.”

SCORERS

Robin Hood

Goater 48, Parsons 90+3

TEAMS

Robin Hood (4-3-3): D Eve — S Smith (sub: J Pereira, 68min), J Bather, C Ryan, C Castle — D Williams (sub: D Andrade, 83), P Parsons, T Goater (sub: L Symonds, 90+3) — A Nelson, L Simmons. T Russell. Substitutes not used: R Wray, T Bean, J Nusum, E Outerbridge, C Ricca. Booked: Smith.

Somerset Trojans (4-3-3): S Bean — M Henscheke, T Ming, C Durham, Jaden Ratteray-Smith — D Swan, J Corday, S Burrows (sub: A Seaman, 76) — D Wainwright (sub: Jaz Ratteray-Smith, 68), K Hollis (sub: D Zuill, 73), V Perinchief. Substitutes not used: K Swainson-Robinson, T Smith, Z Robinson, H Butterfield. Booked: Perinchief, Corday, Bean. Sent off: Bean.