X-Roads 1 North Village 6

North Village produced another impressive performance in the Dudley Eve Trophy group stages by thrashing X-Roads at Devonshire Rec on Saturday night.

The onslaught was spearheaded by young Daion Swan-DeSilva, who exhibited skill and clinical finishing to score a first-half hat-trick as Village ran out to a 5-0 lead at the interval.

Swan-DeSilva’s, who joined the club recently from Somerset Trojans, was joined on the scoresheet by fellow new arrival De’Andre Wainwright and Adio Deshields-Tankard to put the match beyond X-Roads by the break.

X-Roads, to their credit, continued to fight after the restart led by second-half substitute Aaron Spencer, who dominated the midfield when he arrived on the pitch to take the game to a complacent Village.

Spencer scored his team’s only goal when he controlled a pass in the middle of the park before keeping his composure to hit a firm drive which went in off the upright as Village goalkeeper, captain Detre Bell, could only watch on.

Village defender Jalen Harvey was then sent off in the aftermath of the goal for foul and abusive language as he disputed a call leading up to the strike.

The hard-working Tre Ming was instrumental in many of Village’s second-half attacks with his long penetrating passes and deservedly closed out the scoring in the 83rd minute when he collected the ball in the attacking third of the field before dribbling forward and unleashing a low drive into the bottom right corner beyond the outstretched arm of Warrior’s goalkeeper Q’Shai Darrell.

“We played excellent in the first half and scored most of our chances that we created but we dropped our level in the second half, which allowed X-Roads to play,” said Village coach, Kenny Thompson.

“We were very lethargic in the second half and we must be better than that. As to young Daion, he has the ability and must continue to have the desire and drive to become an even better player.”

Scorers:

X-Road Warriors: A Spencer 56

North Village: Swan-DeSilva 9, 14, 32, Wainwright 18, A DeShields-Tankard 25, T Ming 82

Teams

X-Road Warriors (4-1-4-1): Q Darrell 5 — R Beek 6, J Smith 6, D Teleman 6, J Dill 5 (sub: A Wilson, 68 min 5) —- A Gill 5 (sub: A Spencer, 50 8) — T Daniel 6, A Johnston 4 (sub: Teiko Lowe, 7, 4) (sub: K Richardson 50, 6), D Woolridge 5, J Lottimore 5— D Baker 5. Substitutions not used: Terencio Lowe, C Whited, O Williams. Booked: Teiko Lowe, D Teleman.

North Village Rams (3-5-2): D Bell 6— T Williams 6 (sub: J Watts, 85), R Sampson 6, J Harvey 5 — J Outerbridge 6, T Ming 7, D Swan-DeSilva 8 (sub: T Bean, 85), A DeShields-Tankard 7 (sub: A Dos Santos, 80), K Harrison 6— J Smith-DeShields 6 (sub: Z Tucker 68, 5), D Wainwright 7 (sub: P Smith 68, 5). Substitutions not used: L Evans. Sent off: J Harvey.

Referee: A Francis