Robin Hood 4 Dandy Town 2

Robin Hood outpaced Dandy Town Hornets to a convincing win at Goose Gosling Field last night that ended with the visiting side seeing a double helping of red.

Two goals from Aaron Nelson, and one each from Antwan Russell and Jaylon Bather secured the three points for Hood and handed a first league loss of the season to Town, whose indiscipline meant they finished with nine men.

They had earlier replied through captain Angelo Simmons and Oneko Lowe.

“It was a hard-fought game tonight,” John Barry Nusum, the Hood coach, said. “Quick and fast. Normally, we are the quick-paced team but they matched us in spurts. We eventually settled down and overcame them.”

With the win, Hood leapfrogged their opponents and X-Roads to be overnight leaders going into today’s fixtures.

The game started at a very fast pace with both teams having young and quick forwards. Hood started to dominate and took control of the midfield with Phil Parsons, Nelson and Tomiko Goater taking charge and putting their foot on the ball, but it would be the Hornets who had the first real scoring opportunity.

Hood goalkeeper Dale Eve had to be at his best to keep his team in the game as early as the ninth minute. As a result of a goalmouth scramble, Eve dived and jumped back up four consecutive times making reflex save after reflex save to deny Eusebio Blankendal, Lowe, Zaire Burchall and Nizigh Spence from scoring. The ball was eventually cleared to safety by a Hood defender.

Hood’s two opening goals would come through defensive errors. Hornets midfielder Burchall was dispossessed deep in his own half and the ball was played to Nelson, who dribbled a few steps before planting his shot past the advancing Jaden Manders in the Hornets goal.

Two minutes later, Kwonde Lathan sliced a clearance, which put Russell through one-on-one with Manders. Russell made no mistake, as Manders was rooted on his line.

Hornets captain Simmons would pull one back for Town when he received a cross from the right and drilled it past Eve from six yards.

Hood carried their dominance into the second half and did not take long to score. Nelson initiated a move from midfield, spreading the ball wide to captain Lejuan Simmons, who then raced forward and was the first to Simmons’s cross to beat Manders at his near post.

In the 65th minute, Manders was called on to make a point-blank save from Shakir Smith, turning his shot around a post for a corner. Bather would rise high and unmarked to place a firm header into the back of the net from the resultant corner.

Town would score a consolation goal when substitute Neil Smith played a diagonal, cross-field ball to Lowe, who outpaced his defender before hitting a hard and low drive into the far corner of Eve’s goal. Lowe thought he had scored moments later, but his point-blank shot was blocked by the feet of Eve and went out for a corner.

The match ended disastrously for the visiting side, referee Anthony Francis having to reach into his back pocket to show red cards to both Jahnazae Swan and Lowe.

Swan was first to go, for a two-footed lunge on Casey Castle, then Lowe became the second to earn a slightly early shower when he was sent off for foul and abusive language towards the referee,

SCORERS

Robin Hood

Nelson 20, 49

Russell 21

Bather 56

Dandy Town

Simmons 26, Lowe 65

TEAMS

Robin Hood (4-3-3): D Eve — C Castle, D Williams, J Bather, J Pereira — A Nelson, T Goater (sub: L Symonds, 75min), P Parsons — S Smith, A. Russell (sub: T Bean, 90), L Simmons (sub: E Outerbridge, 73). Substitutes not used: J Nusum, C Ricca, R Wray. Booked: Bather.

Dandy Town (4-1-2-3): J Manders — T Manders, K Lathan, E Blankendal, L Emery (sub: N Smith, 68) — Z Burchall (sub: T Wilson, 68th) — D Ming, N Spence (sub: O Wilson, 52) — A Simmons, O Lowe, J Swan. Substitutes not used: J Eve, D Walker, N Eversley, J Roser. Booked: Swan. Sent off: Lowe, Swan.

Referee: A Francis.