North Village 2 Somerset Trojans 0

A new Dudley Eve Trophy champion will be crowned this season after North Village eliminated holders Somerset Trojans in a semi-final pitting two of the island’s most successful clubs against each other at PHC Field last night.

Kenny Thompson’s team prevailed on goals either side of the interval from Jalen Harvey and substitute Adio Deshields-Tankard to secure their place in the final for a record tying 14th time and first since the 2012-13 campaign when they lost 2-1 to Trojans in extra time.

“The match was as we thought it would be where we had to be patient and alert to potential threats from Somerset,” Thompson said after the final whistle.

“We certainly did not want to get into a mindset where we felt the need to try and win the game before the 90 minutes.

“We had to take the entire 90 minutes to win the match and had to be ready and patient to do it and I think we showed a lot of patience without creating a whole host of chances. We had to be ready to execute when the few chances we created came and I thought we did that.

“At the end of the day it’s really pleasing to get to another final so now our focus shifts to recovery and the league on Sunday.”

Village took the match to their opponents from the outset and went close to breaking the deadlock when striker Jaizel Smith-DeShields headed Daion Swan-DeSilva’s corner against the bar.

The lively Swan-DeSilva then sent a shot just wide of the post before Trojans finally buckled under the relentless pressure from the eight-times Dudley Eve champions. Harvey’s 40-yard cross slipped between the hands of Trojans’ goalkeeper Yizharyah Williams and dropped into the back of the net.

Village continued to dictate the tempo, but were unable to add to their tally with Harvey’s strike separating the teams at the break.

Thompson’s team kept the pressure on after the restart and went close to doubling their lead when Williams pushed substitute DeShields-Tankard’s blast from the top of the box around the post and Smith-DeShields fired a partial clearance from another dangerous low cross over the bar.

Trojans came alive after bringing on fresh legs and enjoyed their best spell of possession as they pressed for an equaliser coming down the home stretch.

However, any hopes they had of also reaching the final of the competition for a record-equaling 14th time and keeping their title defence alive, were dashed when Deshields-Tankard was allowed time and space inside the area to tap in Harvey’s cross three minutes from the end of regulation time.

“Hats off to Village, they played a hell of a game, and I was just proud of my boys they were able to push them for 90 minutes,” Jensen Rogers, the Trojans coach said.

“It’s just small things, and Village do the simple things very well, but I feel we can build off the performance.

“We had a few moments where we looked like we would get something but the decision making in the final third just has to be a little bit better.

“That’s something we are working on and it’s not going to happen overnight. But I saw a little bit of improvement tonight than against PHC (in the Premier Division last Sunday) and so I am happy with that.”

Rogers said his players can hold their head high despite bowing out of the competition.

“We made it to the semi-final and there’s a lot of other teams that would’ve loved to have been in the position that we were in,” he added.

“We made here and we just move on. We’re out, we move and focus on the next league game and then the next cup competition when it comes about.”

SCORERS

North Village: Harvey 31; Deshields-Tankard (sub), 87

TEAMS

North Village (3-5-2): D Bell – J Harvey, T Wilson, K Knights – L Evans (sub: A Deshields-Tankard, 69 min), D Swan- DeSilva, T Ming, J Outerbridge (sub: R Sampson, 83), A Dos Santos – J Smith – DeShields, P Smith (sub: D Wainwright, 75).

Somerset Trojans (4-2-3-1): Y Williams – M Eve, M Nisbett- Tankard, M Tear- Deleon, K McNeil (sub: Z Brown, 87) – Jadan Ratteray- Smith, P Robinson (sub: J Simmons, 87)- J Furbert, Jaz Ratteray- Smith, J Shields (sub: H Eve, 69) – J Powell (sub: E Mendes, 69). Booked: Robinson.

Referee: A Majors.