A busy day across the English Football League and non-league pyramid saw mixed fortunes for the Bermudian contingent, with a dramatic victory for Nathan Trott's Cardiff City and penalty heartache for Nahki Wells' Luton Town.
Nathan Trott and Cardiff City staged an impressive comeback to secure a crucial 2-1 victory over Reading FC at the Cardiff City Stadium.
The hosts initially fell behind but rallied strongly to overturn the deficit and claim all three points, with goalkeeper Trott earning a victory that keeps Cardiff firmly in the mix at the top end of the table.
In stark contrast, it was a frustrating afternoon for striker Nahki Wells as his Luton Town side fell 2-0 to Mansfield Town FC at Kenilworth Road.
The key moment came early on while the score was still 0-0. Wells stepped up to take a penalty but saw his effort brilliantly saved by Mansfield goalkeeper Liam Roberts. The missed opportunity proved costly, as Luton subsequently conceded twice, leaving Wells and his teammates to reflect on a difficult defeat.
In the non-league pyramid, several Bermudian players saw action or were part of winning squads:
Deniche Hill and Keziah Martin were both unused substitutes, but they watched their Buxton FC teammates stage a solid fightback to defeat Chorley FC 3-2 in the Enterprise National League North.
Reggie Lambe featured for Needham Market FC as they secured a commanding 3-0 home victory against Stourbridge in the Southern League Premier Central Division at the Bloomfields Stadium.
In the same division, Milan Butterfield was part of the Halesowen Town side that travelled to Oxfordshire and swept aside Banbury United FC with a comfortable 3-0 win.
Willie Clemons and Leiston FC were involved in a share of the points, drawing 2-2 with Barwell FC at The Flannery Stadium.
In the United Counties League, Roger Lee and his Heanor Town teammates suffered a 2-0 loss away to AFC Mansfield.
Justin Donawa was left watching from the bench as his Brackley Town teammates drew 0-0 with Gateshead at St James Park.
Young talent Ayleal Dill had a memorable outing, not only featuring but also captaining his Southwell City teammates to a convincing 3-0 victory over Shirebrook Town FC.
Coleridge Fubler and Reese Jones Jr. both started for Binfield FC in their Isthmian Football League match, helping their side to a strong 4-1 win over Fareham Town. Rahzir Smith-Jones and Qur'an Raynor were unused substitutes.
Finally, Jutorre Burgess and his Harborough Town teammates edged a close contest, beating Bromsgrove Sporting 1-0 at the Beehive.
Friday, October 17, 2025
Hunt's Late Long Range Boot Secures Point for PHC
Quinaceo Hunt
IslandStats.com
FIRST DIVISION
The Bermuda Football Association’s Competitions Committee has approved the request from St David's to postpone their match against Robin Hood. The match was scheduled for a 7pm kick off this evening, Friday October 17th.
PREMIER DIVISION
Dandy Town Hornets 1 PHC Zebras 1
Dandy Town Hornets and PHC Zebras played out a hard-fought 1-1 draw at the Devonshire Recreation Club, with a dramatic, late goal ensuring the points were split.
After 90 minutes of intense action, the result will perhaps feel like two points lost for the hosts, Dandy Town, after they surrendered a late lead through a highly unconventional goal.
The contest was a cagey affair in the opening half, with neither side able to find a breakthrough, sending the teams into the interval locked in a goalless stalemate.
The deadlock was finally broken just past the hour mark in the 61st minute. It came from an unlikely sequence: a turnover deep in the PHC third.
The Hornets won possession immediately after a PHC throw-in. David Jones showed excellent strength and composure to hold off his marker before neatly slotting the ball into the path of Jahkari Furbert. Furbert made no mistake from close range, clinically dispatching the chance to give Dandy Town the crucial 1-0 advantage.
With time rapidly running out and Dandy Town looking set to claim all three points, the Zebras engineered a dramatic equaliser in the 87th minute.
The goal came in spectacular, and bizarre, fashion. PHC goalkeeper Quinaceo Hunt stepped up to take a free-kick just outside his own box. His long, hopeful clearance traveled the length of the pitch, bouncing on the turf.
The flight and bounce completely deceived Dandy Town's goalkeeper, Jahquil Hill, and the ball skipped over him and into the net.
The improbable goal from the PHC shot-stopper ensured the Zebras leveled the score at 1-1, snatching a point just moments from the final whistle. The late drama meant both sides had to settle for a share of the spoils in a lively Bermuda Premier Division clash.
Wednesday, October 15, 2025
BFA Respond to BAA Field Closure
IslandStats.com
www.islandstats.com has received the Bermuda Football Associations Competitions Committee response to the article regarding Goose Gosling field.
While the BFA Executive Council doesn’t normally engage in public discourse with one of our member clubs, having read the article on IslandStats attributed to BAA President Mike McGrath, it is important to bring clarity to the issues of safety at Goose Gosling Field that he has raised.
Communication was received by the Association from the Bermuda Referees Association that the referees have withdrawn their services from Goose Gosling Field until player and match official safety concerns are adequately addressed based on the condition of some parts of the artificial field.
BFA Competitions Committee conducted a site visit along with BAA President Mike McGrath. At that time, Mr. McGrath indicated that while some of the materials needed to rectify the identified issues were already in hand, completion of the work was dependent on sustained dry weather conditions. This was particularly relevant to the field line markings, which were acknowledged to pose a trip hazard. Mr. McGrath indicated that he agreed with this reality.
The BAA President McGrath further stated that temporary solutions could be implemented to mitigate other issues—specifically, securing the goals and addressing the inoperable gate latches surrounding the perimeter fencing. It was agreed at the time that using zip ties could serve as an effective short-term measure for the gate latches. Mr. McGrath’s statement—expressing confusion about the concern regarding the fencing raised in the BFA’s email is disingenuous.
During the field inspection , Mr. McGrath questioned why these concerns were only now being raised, given that the venue had been used during the U23 tournament. It was indicated that these concerns were recently raised by the BRA in preparation for the upcoming season and a response to them is required along with a plan to resolve them.
As it relates to violence, as an associate member, it would have been constructive and courteous to initiate a dialogue with members of the Association to discuss any perceived security or safety concerns before making the unilateral decision to withdraw Goose Gosling Field. Particularly because the BAA President and Board Members would have been able to avail themselves of intelligence, information, expertise and reports that bring the events at Bernard Park into context.
To use that incident as a reason to withdraw Goose Gosling Field is again disingenuous. The recent incident at Bernard Park is being addressed by the BFA Disciplinary Committee, and at least one club has already taken proactive steps to prevent a recurrence.
The BFA Competitions Committee will work with the clubs who are affected by this unfortunate decision to ensure they are accommodated at other grounds. Despite the incident at Bernard’s Park as well as other recent antisocial and violent incidents that have happened in Bermuda, football has proven to be the necessary sporting and social activity to bring people together despite our differences and we anticipate the football season continuing with little interruption.
Wednesday, October 15, 2025
Bermuda Overseas Footballers Round-Up
IslandStats.com
Bermudian footballer Jutorre Burgess saw his Emirates FA Cup journey with Harborough Town come to an end, while Milan Butterfield's Halesowen Town were defeated in a local derby.
Harborough Town's valiant run in the Emirates FA Cup was stopped by National League side Altrincham, who won the Fourth Qualifying Round Replay 3-0 after extra-time at The Beehive.
The tie was forced into an additional 30 minutes after a scoreless regulation time. However, Altrincham finally broke the deadlock in extra time, with goals in the 98th, 107th, and 110th minutes securing their passage to the First Round proper. Bermudian winger Jutorre Burgess was an unused substitute for Harborough Town.
In Southern Premier Central Division action, Milan Butterfield and his Halesowen Town teammates suffered a narrow 3-2 defeat at home to local rivals Redditch United at The Grove.
Halesowen had taken a 1-0 lead into the half-time interval, but Redditch fought back in the second half, scoring three goals before Halesowen managed a late consolation strike. Midfielder Butterfield came on as a second-half substitute in the contested derby.
Elsewhere, Ayleal Dill and his Southwell City teammates secured a point in their United Counties League Division One fixture, playing out a 1-1 draw against Rainworth MWFC.
The provided match highlights for Southwell City are from a previous season, but offer a look at the club's action.
Tuesday, October 14, 2025
Bermuda’s CONCACAF World Cup W Qualifying Schedule
IslandStats.com
CONCACAF has announced the full schedule for the first window of the 2025/26 Concacaf W Qualifiers, marking the start of the region's preliminary stage for the 2026 Concacaf W Championship.
The competition window will run from Thursday, November 27th through Tuesday, December 2nd.
The qualifiers involve 29 Member Associations, excluding the highest-ranked nations, the United States and Canada. At the conclusion of the qualifying stage in April 2026, the six group winners will advance to join the US and Canada in the final eight-team Concacaf W Championship.
Bermuda has been drawn into Group C and will face a challenging path alongside strong regional teams: Costa Rica Guatemala Grenada Cayman Islands
The 2026 Concacaf W Championship is crucial, as it will serve as the Confederation’s direct qualifier for both the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027 and the 2028 LA Summer Olympics. The path to the biggest global tournaments now begins for Bermuda this November.
Thursday, November 27, 2025
Cayman Islands vs. Bermuda – Truman Bodden Sports Complex, George Town, Cayman Islands
Monday, December 1, 2025
Guatemala vs. Bermuda – Estadio Cementos Progreso, Guatemala City, Guatemala
