Donte Brangman, the Southampton Rangers captain, believes his side’s Friendship Trophy triumph has made a strong statement to the rest of the Premier Division.

Rangers defeated Devonshire Cougars 1-0 thanks to a late header by defender Maquel Nisbett-Tankard in the final at Somerset Cricket Club on New Year’s Day.

The win makes them the first team to claim the Shield Trophy one season and the Friendship Trophy the next.

“A lot of people doubted us and they always have; we are just an unpredictable team,” Brangman said.

“We know what we are capable of, but a lot of teams don’t. That’s where we have an edge because they don’t expect us to perform.

“We deserved it. We didn’t play the way we wanted, but we got the result we wanted.”

Rangers won the First Division title last season, but the Friendship Trophy is the most significant title they have won in more than two decades.

“We won the First Division Shield in each of the last two seasons, but this is the first Premier Division trophy we have won in about 26 years,” Brangman added. “This is a big thing to us. We played for the community today, we know how much it means to them. It put us back on the map.”

Brangman, 25, recognises that team effort is what got Rangers across the line against Cougars.

“I didn’t really have a good game, but it’s not about me,” he said. “I am very proud of my team, we have come a long way in the last few seasons in First Division.

“In the first season, we went undefeated but somehow didn’t come up. The next year, we played very well and were able to come up. Now we are in the Premier Division, but we are not in the best position in the league.

“However, we have shown teams that we can compete with them because we have won the Friendship Trophy. Teams have to respect us now.”

Brangman has enjoyed a fantastic last 12 months, both domestically and internationally, representing Bermuda at the Concacaf Gold Cup and in the top tier of the Nations League.

“It’s been a lot different playing with a club team and then going to play for Bermuda against the best in the Gold Cup,” he added. “I feel like my football intelligence helped me a lot because it allowed me to adjust.”

“I know my position on the field and I am able to play up to the Gold Cup standard because of that.

“I realise that with my club, I don’t have to improve my game because there are no professionals here, but when we play overseas, we have to bring our best.

“My competitive edge brings me over the line overseas, I bring that on the field.

“For instance, when I am one-on-one with a player, I try my hardest not to allow them to get past me. Playing with Rangers, I have a lot of roles — wingback, centre midfield, winger — they play me where I fit.

Brangman, formerly of Robin Hood, believes Rangers’ unpredictability could play to their advantage as they look to climb the league table during the second half of the season.

They sit in eighth place, just outside of the relegation zone on goal difference, and take on Somerset Eagles in a West End derby at Southampton Oval on Sunday.