St George’s Colts 0 PHC Zebras 1

Na’eem Griffith’s first-half header catapulted PHC Zebras into the FA Cup final as they kept their Triple Crown hopes alive at a wet and blustery Devonshire Recreation Club on Wednesday night.

The experienced central defender won the match in the eleventh minute by meeting a Marco Warren corner at the near post to power a header into the net against a St George’s side that played most of the match a man short after midfielder Malachi Trott was sent off before the interval after picking up a second booking.

“It was scrappy and we knew it would be, but it was just a matter of getting the goal and keeping it tight,” said Winston Trott Jr, the PHC coach.

“We missed a lot of chances and you have to take them. We took our chances in the last game but this game we didn’t, so that’s why the game was as tight as it was.

“Those guys [St George’s] came to battle and they battled for every ball, so it was just a matter of us being steady in the middle and trying to throw them off but they just kept fighting.”

PHC will meet the winner North Village and Paget Lions, who play at PHC Field on Thursday night.

“We are excited and happy to get into another final, but the job is not done, so we still have work to do,” Trott said.

Despite going a man down, St George’s never lost their shape, but were unable to put away their chances in the second meeting between the two sides in four days.

“It was a tough game. I thought it was an opportunity to bounce back but one defensive lapse was the difference in the game,” said Jarreau Hayward, the St George’s coach.

“Even when we went down to ten men, I thought we played good football, so I am proud of the team’s character and this is just a lesson we have to learn.”

As was the case in last Saturday’s encounter between the two sides, which PHC won 4-0, Trott’s team scored against the run of play with their first real chance of the match.

Warren whipped in a corner from the right side and Griffith rose unchallenged at the near post to nod past goalkeeper Jahquil Hill.

Despite falling behind, St George’s regrouped with PHC goalkeeper Coleridge Fubler racing off his line to block Blaiz Hall’s shot from inside the area following a fluent move down the middle.

Hall then failed to capitalise on another golden opportunity after having the ball cleared

off his boot as he wriggled his way towards goal in the box before PHC spurned a great chance to double their lead when Kadeem Abraham wasred a free header from another Warren corner.

Things then went from bad to worse for St George’s when Trott received his marching orders for a second harsh tackle on PHC left back De-Andre Smith-Lightbourne in the 38th minute.

Blaiz Hall blew St George’s’s only clear-cut chance early in the second period when he latched on to Macai Simmons’s defence-splitting pass only to lose control of the ball with just Fubler to beat.

Having been let off the hook, PHC quickly settled down and began creating openings after stretching their opponents using the full width of the pitch with Hill pulling off a brilliant one-handed save to deny T’ysi Showers from close range.

The Friendship Trophy holders should have put the game out of reach but striker Paul Simons dragged wide from around the penalty spot while substitute Shavon Nisbett failed to convert Warren’s low cross virtually standing on the goalline.

SCORERS

PHC: Griffith, 11

TEAMS

St George's Colts (4-4-2): J Hill 7 - N Paynter 7, D Signor 7, E Signor 7 (sub: K Wilson, 77min), J Basset 7- J Burgess 7 (sub: J Dickinson, 77), M Simmons 7 (sub: J Carlington, 65 5), M Trott 5, K Hall 7 - B Hall 7, J Smith 7. Substitutes not used: C Burns, L Dill, G Wade. Booked: Paynter, Trott, Dickinson (sub). Sent off: Trott.

PHC Zebras (4-3-3): C Fubler 7 - D Smith- Lightbourne 7, J Bather 7, N Griffith 7, D Usher 7 - D Lodge 6, K Abraham 6, M Warren 7 - T Showers 7 (sub: S Nisbett, 76), J Sealey 6 (sub:K Bean, 76), P Simons 6. Substitutes not used: Shaquille Trott, J Hassell, D Richardson, A McDowall, Shakhai Trott. Booked: Griffith, Lodge.

Referee: K Johnson (USA).