Hamilton Parish 3 Somerset Trojans 3

Young forward Keyni Mills scored a hat-trick to lead ten-man Somerset Trojans to a thrilling draw with Hamilton Parish at Wellington Oval yesterday and keep their Premier Division survival hopes alive.

Mills had put Trojans ahead in the first half but the sending off of Jaire Shields just before half time gave Parish the chance to turn around the deficit and take the lead before the striker found the net in the third minute of added time to rescue a point.

Trojans coach Jensen Rogers felt his side should have come away with three points as the draw leaves them three points from safety with just two games to play.

“We should have taken victory,” Rogers said.

“Our decision-making was poor and had it been better we would have got full points..

“When we went down to ten, this gave Parish more energy, but I am glad we showed spirit and got the draw.”

Somerset gradually increased the pressure as the first half wore on and that led to their opening goal, with Mills producing a beautiful solo effort after being found on the left flank by Jadan Ratteray-Smith, dribbling around three Parish defenders and placing a low finish into the far post past goalkeeper Nigel Burgess.

Philip Burgess could have equalised a few minutes before half-time after being fed through by Justin Bell but was just offside when he headed home past shot-stopper Yizharyah Williams.

Defender Jaire Shields was then sent off just before the interval for a second bookable offence after pulling down Bell on the left-wing as Parish pushed forward for a dangerous attack.

Parish took the momentum that their man advantage allowed them but could have gone two goals down after Paris Robinson whipped a free kick off the junction of crossbar and far post.

Just after the hour mark, former North Village star Bell equalised with another stunning solo goal, this time gliding around Maquel Nisbett-Tankard and curling off the far post with precision and finesse and they turned the match around when Leroy Lewis and Bell played a neat one-two around the edge of the box, with the former firing home with the outside of his boot.

Trojans recognised that they had allowed Parish to seize control of the contest and added some extra dynamism to their attack with substitute Kameron McNeil, who was instrumental in the build-up to their equaliser when he cut infield and played forward for Mills, who made space amid a crowded penalty area and reversed an effort with his weaker foot into the bottom corner past a motionless Burgess.

Parish responded in style to go in front for the second time from a set-piece. Striker Phillip Burgess glanced a free-kick from Bell off the back of Jiriko Powell and into the net away from the despairing dive of Williams.

Mills would have the last say on the outcome of this six-goal thriller, wriggling into space and outmuscled a few Parish players before finishing in the near post after good work from Kymani McNeil.

SCORERS:

Hamilton Parish: Bell 62, Lewis 68, Burgess 78

Somerset Trojans: Mills 16, 76, 90+3

TEAMS

Hamilton Parish (4-2-3-1): N Burgess 6 – K Knights 5, M Hill 6, J Stowe 5, A Nelson 6 – K Trott 6, S McKittrick 5 – L Lewis 6, J Bell 7, A Foy 6 – P Burgess 6 (sub: C Smith, 81min). Substitutes not used: J Burgess

Somerset Trojans (4-2-3-1): Y Williams 6 – J Shields 5, C Durham-Francis 5 (sub: Jaz Ratteray-Smith, 70 5), M Eve 6 (sub: E Mendes, 79), M Nisbett-Tankard 6 – P Robinson 6, Kymani McNeil 6 - J Simmons 6 (sub: J Powell, 58 5), Jadan Ratteray-Smith 6, K Mills 8 – R Russell 6 (sub: Kameron McNeil, 70 6). Substitutes not used: D Bean, M Wilson, I Francis. Booked: Shields, Nisbett-Tankard. Sent off: Shields

Referee: A Francis