St David’s 0 Robin Hood 3

Robin Hood will face a much sterner test against PHC Zebras this weekend in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup after easing past First Division side St David’s at Devonshire Recreation Club last night. Hood may still have been feeling the effects of last Saturday’s Premier Division encounter with North Village, as for 45 minutes the islanders held their own against their more fancied opponents.

St David’s went after Hood from the first whistle and had it not been for an excellent save from young goalkeeper Mataeo Holder in the fifth minute, an uphill battle could have ensued. The youngster stretched full length to his left in order to deny Iyuan Smith blast from just inside the box.

Three minutes later Hood found themselves in front after being awarded a dubious penalty for a trip on Niyan Outerbridge in the box. That the referee was some 30 yards away when he made the decision made no difference to acting captain Chae Brangman, who dispatched his spot-kick with the same conviction that Francis had awarded it.

The remaining 30 minutes of the half produced few chances and little for the small crowd to get excited about.

The second period saw Hood start to show their dominance and for young St David’s goalkeeper Shomari Fox to show that he too could match his counterpart in the save department. On no fewer than three occasions did Fox deny Hood’s strikers with outstanding reflex saves with both hand and foot.

With just 15 minutes remaining Hood finally found a second. Niyan Outerbridge’s initial shot was blocked by Fox but the rebound fell at the feet of the striker who made no mistake the second time around.

The icing on the cake and goal of the evening came in the 85th minute when yet another of Hood’s talented youngsters Cody Robinson met a Daniel Cook corner at the near post and the glancing header left all others rooted to the spot as it rocketed into the net.

The march into the last eight was fully deserved on the night but Hood’s coach Danté Laverock and his young guns will have to be at their very best come Sunday if they are to see the last four.

SCORERS

Robin Hood: Brangman 9 pen, Outerbridge 76, Robinson 85

TEAMS

St David’s (4-4-2): S Fox 7 ‒ N Anderson 6, K. Butterfield 6 (sub: Z Scott 70min 6), D Butterfield 6, A Paynter 6 ‒ B Furquan 6 (sub: D McCallan 70 6), J Pitcher 6, M Proctor 6 (sub: A Paynter 70 6), C Richardson 6 (sub: D Minors 85) ‒ J Jarvis 7, I Smith 6 (sub: S Wilson 85). Substitutes not used: A Wolfe, D Fox, N Maharaj.

Robin Hood (3-5-2): M Holder 7 ‒ N Massa 6 (sub: C. Robinson 45 7), L Evans 6, D. Cook 7 ‒ A Trott 6, K Naylor 7 (sub: M Henry 80), A Nelson 6 (sub: J Berkeley 75), T Goater 6, K Knights 6 ‒ N Outerbridge 7 (sub: A Simons 75), C Brangman 7 (sub: P Robinson 85). Substitutes not used: T Bean, M Fullerton.

Referee: A Francis.