Somerset Trojans 6 Southampton Rangers 1

Jahkari Furbert scored twice as Somerset Trojans put on a dominant display against a spirited but short-handed Southampton Rangers outfit to win comfortably at Somerset Cricket Field on Saturday night.

Trojans should have won by a larger margin but were not helped by a comedy of misses combined with some quality saves by veteran goalkeeper and player-coach Dwayne “Streaker” Adams, who is already looking ahead to next season.

“I appreciate the guys who have come out to represent the club. We have some youngsters mixed with some old players so hopefully we can regroup, keep the nucleus of the players and challenge for promotion next year,” said Adams.

Rangers started the match with ten men and went behind as early as the fourth minute when Jadan Ratteray-Smith met a diagonal cross at the back post for a simple tap-in beyond Adams.

Trojans doubled their lead minutes later when Furbert controlled before curling a left-footed shot into Adams’s pigeon-hole from a Jaz Ratteray-Smith precision pass. The closest first-half attempt from the Rangers came when Jahkari Hollis chipped over the Trojans’ defence close to the six-yard box but the ball eluded Delonte Dunlop’s out-stretched boot.

Adams was at his best to stretch full length to push Damon Swan’s goal-bound shot around the post but just before the half ended, Trojans would score their third when Swan was first to a rebound to blast the ball into the back of the net from close range.

Rangers’ efforts to restrict the Trojans to only three goals in the half was partially due to vocal captain Akale Bean, who encouraged his players throughout the half. Unfortunately, Bean had to depart at the break due to another commitment, further reducing his team to play the second half with nine men.

The Trojans immediately capitalised on the advantage and scored soon after the restart when a poor clearance gifted Nathan Rego the easy task of slotting the ball pass a stranded Adams. The veteran goalkeeper then produced a flash of brilliance to dive full length to deny Rego’s near-post drive.

There was, however, nothing Adams could do about the Trojans’ fifth goal as Furbert’s blocked shot sailed over his head and into the net before substitute Allan Douglas finished off the Trojans’ scoring in the dying minutes with a volley from a Furbert cross.

Rangers were finally rewarded for their never-say-die attitude with nearly the last kick of the game when Hollis was on the receiving end of a defence-splitting pass to lob the advancing Trojans goalkeeper Cymande Davis with their only attempt in the second half.

SCORERS

Somerset Trojans: Jadan Ratteray-Smith 4, Furbert 11, 73, Swan 33, Rego 47, Douglas 89

Southampton Rangers: Hollis 90

TEAMS

Somerset Trojans (4-2-3-1): C Davis 5 ― M Henschke 5 (sub: K Sharrieff-Hayward 67min 5), T Ming 5, C Durham 5, M Nisbett-Tankard 5 (sub: Q Watson 67 5) ― Jaz Ratteray-Smith 5, J Butterfield 5 (sub: K McNeil 60) ― Jadan Ratteray-Smith 5, N Rego 6 (sub: A Douglas 67 5), J Furbert 6 ― D Swan (sub: D Wainwright 60 5).

Southampton Rangers (4-1-3-1): D Adams 6 ― D Hill 5, A Bean 6, R Wright 6, W Bean 5 ― R Lowe 6 ― M Basden 5, D Steede 5, D Dunlop 5 ― J Hollis 6. Booked: Basden.

Referee: D Jackson.