Robin Hood 1 PHC Zebras 2

PHC Zebras took to Goose Gosling field last evening as firm favourites for a berth in the FA Cup semi-final draw and they did not disappoint after relatively comfortable win over their Premier Division colleagues.

Within two minutes the Zebras had drawn first blood and for Hood, the match looked as if it would be just as long an evening, as the first day of daylight saving.

Antwan Russell controlled a delicate ball over the top ball from Enrique Russell and placed his shot into the bottom left-hand corner of goalkeeper Holder’s net leaving the young shot-blocker with no chance. Hood’s back four had been caught flat playing against the wind and it looked like the flood gates could open.

To their credit Hood had other ideas and when Daniel Cook produced an inch-perfect pass from the left in the seventh minute, Che Brangman should have found the equaliser but he could only sky the ball over the bar from inside the six-yard box.

Brangman again was the guilty party in the fifteenth minute when a mix-up in the Zebras defence presented him the ball some 12-yards away from his target but the striker could only find Zebras’ goalkeeper Fubler’s mid rift, as another chance was wasted.

PHC then found themselves two to the good in the 21st minute, Keishon Bean finding his scoring touch and the goal from a tight angle after receiving a defence-splitting pass from Enrique Russell, who had waltz into the box leaving no less than three defenders in his wake after the mazy run.

Some four minutes later the game should have been put to bed. Bean had a one-on-one chance against who denied the midfielder from point-blank range with a superb save and with two other quality saves within four minutes Hood were living dangerously.

The last chance of the half though fell to Hood in the 41st minute as Daniel Cook drove a perfectly-flighted corner to the head of Codi Robinson whose effort could only find the shoulder of the Zebras’ goalkeeper and the ball and chance were scrambled away.

The second half never really lived up to what was expected from those supporting Robin Hood. With the wind at their backs the anticipated flood going forward never materialised as time and again the last pass went astray or the long ball had too much venom in its delivery.

To their credit PHC controlled the middle of the park and never really looked as if they were to be troubled.

Hood did give themselves a last hurrah after Che Brangman ripped a scorcher from approximately 20-yards out with seven minutes left in regulation time. The opportunity having been presented by PHC’s Antwan Russell who inexplicably delivered a back pass into the striker’s lap.

At the final whistle both coaches paid tribute to their opposition on the day but Zebras coach Trott was obviously the happier of the two.

“We got the job done and find ourselves in the last four draw, goal achieved,” said Trott.

SCORERS

Robin Hood: Brangman 83,

PHC Zebras: Russell 2, Bean 21

TEAMS

Robin Hood (4-4-2): M Holder 7 ‒ L Evans 6, C Robinson 6, K Knights 6 (sub: T Bean 84min), Cook 7 ‒ J Bather 7, K Naylor 7, A Nelson 6, M Henry 6 (sub: T Goater 60 6) ‒ C Brangman 7, N Outerbridge 6 (sub: A Simons 45 6). Substitutes not used: J Berkeley, N Massa, M Fullerton

PHC Zebras (4-4-2): C Fubler 6 ‒ D Smith-Lightbourne 6, D Usher 7, M Lambe 7, R Desheilds 6 ‒ K Bean 7 (sub: J Iris 60 7), M Warren 7, M Joel 6, T Ming 7 (sub: D Lodge 60 6) ‒ E Russell 7, A Russell 7 (sub: K Hypolite 89). Substitutes not used: W S Trott, N Griffith, I Taylor, S Trott. Booked: A Russell

Referee: D Jackson