PHC Zebras 1North Village 2

North Village crushed PHC’s Triple Crown dreams by producing a late fightback to win the FA Cup final at Flora Duffy Stadium on Sunday.

Trailing 1-0 at the break to Paul Simons’ 33rd minute goal, Village hit back in the second half through a brilliant strike from striker Jaizel Smith-DeShields and a Darren Usher own goal, which ultimately separated the two sides.

The win was Village’s tenth FA Cup success and they are now within one of the record of eleven held by PHC who, after winning the Premier Division and Friendship Trophy, fell at the final hurdle in their attempt to win a second Triple Crown and their first in 52 years.

“I am really ecstatic and happy for the players, for the club, for the fans and for the young players,” Kenny Thompson, the Village coach, said. “It’s really a big moment and we’re extremely happy.

“The players showed a lot of heart when they went behind and it was a rocky five to ten minutes after that.

“We had to regroup at half time and just instil the belief that this game was not over, and that we could from behind and win, so credit to the players that they were able to do it.”

Village captain Tahmi Williams, who supplied the cross which led to the winner, was equally as ecstatic to lift his first trophy in top-flight football.

“This is my first senior trophy so obviously it means a lot to me,” Williams said.

“We slipped up in the Friendship Trophy and league this season, so we had to win this today. It was a must-win game. Had we lost we would have been Triple Crown losers, which is what I kept telling the guys.

“If PHC had won it would have been good history for them, but obviously we had to stop that and make history for ourselves.

“I wouldn’t say it was a very hard game, but I think we made it hard on ourselves with a couple of passes down the back, but we kept going and got that first goal from Jaizel, and as the skipper I had to come up big and help the team.”

Winston Trott Jr, the PHC coach, took defeat in his stride and remained proud of his team’s performance this season.

“A 1-0 lead is always a dangerous lead and we knew that,” he said. “We just let in two crazy goals and that’s football.

“We tried to score as quickly as we could at the beginning of the second half but that didn’t happen, so it was just a matter of holding on, try to absorb the pressure and try to put some pressure on them.

“The game could have gone either way. It was just a matter of staying with it and making sure you put away your chances. They put away theirs and we didn’t.”

As for coming up short in their Triple Crown attempt, Trott said: “As a player I’ve missed it a few times, so I know how hard it is.

“If you win, you need to be really good and you need some luck, that’s how it goes.”

Both teams went straight for the jugular from the opening whistle with Village goalkeeper Detre Bell denying PHC midfielder Jenico Sealey, while at the other end Colridge Fubler raced off his line to thwart the lively Z’Dao Dill and Smith-DeShields.

Fubler rushed off his line again moments later to again deny Smith-DeShields after a fluent build up down the left side involving Dill and Williams.

Village held the ball for long spells and looked the more likelier to score but were forced to chase the game after Simons ran on to a loose ball in the box and beat Bell for pace with a low left-footed shot.

PHC blew a glorious opportunity to double their advantage when midfielder T’syi Showers failed to convert a break after losing control of the ball with only Bell to contend with.

Village issued a statement of intent at the start of the second half with defender Terryn Fray heading former PHC player Tre Ming’s free kick just wide and PHC responded with Simons having a shot saved by Bell, who then beat the experienced striker in a foot race to a through pass in the area.

Fray headed another Ming free kick into the side netting before striker Smith-DeShields grabbed a spectacular equaliser in the 73rd minute after shaking off his marker and thumping a right-footed shot from 25-yards past Fubler.

PHC’s Triple Crown attempt then suffered a fatal blow just seven minutes later when Williams drove into the area and whipped in a low cross, which Usher turned into his own net.

As the game came to a conclusion, Village’s assistant coach Devrae Tankard was sent off in the third minute of stoppage time for dissent.

SCORERS

PHC Zebras: P Simons, 33

North Village: J Smith-DeShields, 73; D Usher (og), 80

TEAMS

PHC Zebras (4-5-1): C Fubler 7 – D Smith-Lightbourne 7, J Bather 7, N Griffifth 7, D Usher 7- D Lodge 7, K Abraham 7, J Sealey 7 (sub: J Hassell, 85min), K Bean 7 (sub: S Trott, 63 6), T Showers 7 (sub: D Dowling, 85) – P Simons. Substitutes not used: S McDowall, K Matthie, Shaquille Trott, D Richardson, S Nisbett, M Smith. Booked: Lodge, Usher, Bather.

North Village (4-5-1): D Bell 7 – J Harvey 7, T Fray 7, T Wilson 7, K Knights 7 – T Ming 7, V Perinchief 7, T Williams 7, J Bell 7 (sub: J Jennings, 63 7), Z Dill 7 (sub: P Smith, 87) – J Smith-DeShields 7. Substitutes not used: K Harrison, O DeShields, J Sukdeo, L Steede, N Anglin, N Smith, D Dillas. Booked: Wilson, J Bell, Dill, N Smith (sub). Sent off: D Tankard (assistant coach).

Referee: D Parchment (Jamaica).