Robin Hood 3 X-Roads 0

Robin Hood stay within touching distance of league leaders North Village, with a comfortable victory over X-Roads at Goose Gosling Field yesterday.

It was a dominant performance against a X-Roads side who were willing to battle but never looked as if they were going to be a real threat.

“We came into match knowing that we needed maximum points to keep pressure on the leaders who opened a five-point gap with their midweek victory over Dandy Town,” John Barry Nusum, the Hood coach said.

“I thought we did well to eliminate the threat that X-Roads pose with long balls over the defence, by allowing their backline to have more of the ball so that we could cover the space behind.

“We probably could have killed the game off a little earlier but we eventually got the goals we needed and I’m overall pleased with our execution of the game plan.”

Despite wet windy conditions, Hood settled into the match quite quickly and were moving the ball around well enough to create openings.

Ereico Outerbridge would have the first good look at goal as he cut in from the left on the break, but his shot from just outside the box came off the top side of the cross bar and out for goal kick.

Hood came close again in the 20th minute, when Casey Castle swung a dangerous cross into the box from the right side, but Phillip Parsons failed to make contact with his attempted header. The inevitable breakthrough came on the half-hour mark when Justin Corday’s shot from 30 yards took a slight deflection before bouncing off the slick surface and into the bottom corner of the net, leaving goalkeeper Daeshun Cooper with no chance.

Hood were well in control at this point and almost doubled the lead before the half but Jaylon Bather’s header from a corner went just wide of the post.

Hood picked up where they left off after the interval and were able to get their second goal in the 60th minute through Aaron Nelson, who turned sharply on his defender inside the box before putting his low shot underneath the onrushing keeper.

Moments later, the deal was sealed when Castle cut in from the left side and curled his well-struck effort from the corner of the box into the bottom far post.

Corday, had a chance to add a fourth following a defensive mix up in the 75th minute but Cooper made a good save with his feet to deny the midfielder his second of the match.

X-Roads only shot on target came just before time, when Donovan Thompson was on the end of a through ball but his toe poke effort was well saved by goalkeeper Antwan Russell to preserve the shutout.

SCORERS

R Hood: Corday 30, Nelson 61, Castle 64

TEAMS

Robin Hood: (3-4-3) A Russell — L Steede, J Bather, C Castle — L Anderson, C Ryan, P Parsons, J Corday (sub: R Christopher 77min), E Outerbridge, A Nelson, T Goater (sub C Brangman 62). Substitutes not used: N Outerbridge, L Simmons. Booked: McDowell.

X-Roads: (4-3-3) D Cooper — J Furbert, K Wilkinson, M Hill, C McDowall — T Burgess, A Burgess (sub: C Hayward, 87), T Daniels — J Sanchez (sub: N Richardson, 67), K Brangman, D Thompson. Substitutes not used: P Richardson, J Burrows, R Beek, A Cannonier.

Referee: T Simons.