Jaizel Smith-DeShield’s first-half strike kept North Village’s Dudley Eve Trophy hopes alive at the National Stadium last night.

The Village forward scored the only goal of the game against Robin Hood just before the break after pouncing onto Tahmi Williams’s rebound in the box and drilling in a low shot at the far post.

Hood enjoyed swathes of possession and had plenty of good looks at goal but were unable to convert through of combination of poor finishing and some solid defending by a well-organised Village defence that kept their shape throughout the match.

“The first half I thought we did really well for the way we were set up in approaching the game,” Kenny Thompson, the Village coach, said. “I thought we managed things really well. We got the goal and then looking in the second half maybe to try to get a second but at the very least not to give anything up.”

John Barry Nusum, the Hood coach, added: “We had the chances but for me it’s early in the season and that’s what we want to be doing, creating chances.

“Against PHC on the weekend we put the chances away and tonight we didn’t, and you leave a team like this [Village] in the game and all they need is that one chance. They actually defended a lot better in the second half and so they made it very tough for us to get in.”

The result leaves Hood, Village and Somerset Trojans tied on points, goal difference and goals scored in group A.

The drawing of lots will now be held to decide the group winners and the second team to advance to the semi-final along with Devonshire Cougars and Dandy Town.

“We’ve never been in this situation before so we can only wait for the draw now and see what happens,” Thompson said.

“But at the end of the day we wanted to give ourselves a chance with at the very least a 1-0 win.”

Nusum added: “It is what it is and is something I can’t control. We put ourselves in that position and we deal with whatever comes.”