Somerset Eagles 1 Devonshire Cougars 4

Devonshire Cougars cruised to a comfortable win over Somerset Eagles in a lopsided Premier Division contest at Somerset Cricket Club last night.

The visitors prevailed on goals either side of the break, from Zari Simmons, Domico Coddington, substitute Zachary Morris and an Keiran Evans own goal.

Shakir Smith netted Eagles’ consolation.

Cougars went into the match fresh off a defeat against PHC in their previous outing, and managed to bounce back at the earliest opportunity.

“It was good to get back to winning ways,” Zeko White, the Cougars captain, told The Royal Gazette.

“I thought we were a little scrappy at the start. But at half time, coach (Kwame Steede) talked to us and the guys settled down and played more ball.

“I think settling down was the main thing because everybody was rushing. But once we settled down, we started playing ball and the goals started coming.”

Cougars welcomed forwards Lejuan Simmons and Drewondie Bascome back from lengthy injury layoffs.

“I’m happy to have them back to add to the team,” White added.

Cougars dominated the early possession, but wasted a golden opportunity when forward Elisha Darrell headed Coddington’s cross over the bar from inside the six-yard box.

Coddington then had the ball in the net, but saw his effort waved off by the referee assistant’s flag.

The visitors’ relentless pressure finally paid off, when Simmons made the big breakthrough. Defender Jecoa Thomas’s chip inside the box, came back off the crossbar and fellow defender Darren Williams crossed the loose ball back in the goalmouth, where midfielder Simmons headed past Eagles goalkeeper Joshua Roberts.

Cougars doubled their advantage right on the stroke of half time, when Evans turned Coddington’s low cross into his own net at the near post.

Coddington made it 3-0 early in the second half, when he drilled Chekai Caisey’s cross through Roberts’s legs and into the back of the net, to virtually end the match as a contest.

Smith finally pulled one back for Eagles with a controversial goal.

The experienced striker converted past Cougars goalkeeper Kioshi Trott, but the goal was initially ruled offside.

However, after consulting with his assistant, referee Anthony Francis reversed his decision, after judging that Trott had handled the ball outside of the box and therefore allowed the goal to stand on the advantage rule.

Smith went close to grabbing another when his shot from an acute angle struck the upright, while Trott saved his second attempt from the rebound.

Cougars finished strongly after making a series of substitutions, among them Zachary Morris, who lashed home Kurtis Minors’s rebound inside the box, to put the icing on the visitors’ convincing display.

SCORERS

Somerset Eagles: S Smith 60

Devonshire Cougars: Z Simmons 37, K Evans (og) 45, D Coddington 52, Z Morris (sub) 87

TEAMS

Somerset Eagles (4-4-2): J Roberts 5 – K Harrison 5, J Rogers 7, K Evans 5, D Riley – Clarke 5 – D Joell 5, A Telford 5, K Durrant 5, E Fubler 5 – D Simmons 5 (sub: M Iris-Simmons, 62 mins 5), S Smith 7.

Devonshire Cougars (4-1-4-1): K Trott 7 – J Thomas 8, K Caisey 7, Z White 7, D Williams 7 (sub: A Cannonier, 62) – K Minors 7 (sub: C Albouy, 81) – Z Simmons 7, C Caisey 7 (sub: L Simmons, 62 7), Q Maynard 7 (sub: D Bascome, 81), E Darrell 5 (sub: Z Morris, 75) – D Coddington 8. Substitutes not used: R Brangman, J Wade.

Referee: A Francis