Jamaica College
MGsports_media
For the fifth time in recent years, Jamaica College and St Andrew Technical High School (STATHS) had to be separated by penalties, and for the fifth time, Jamaica College toppled their perennial rivals.
The Old Hope Road-based team registered a 7-6 sudden death shootout win over their Bumper Hall-based opponents, after both played out a 1-1 stalemate in a keenly contested ISSA/Digicel Walker Cup final at the National Stadium on Friday.
Leon Brown gave STATHS a fifth-minute lead, but that was cancelled out by Jamaica College’s captain Renson Sayers Jr (59th), and from there the Davion Ferguson-coached “Dark Blues” maintained their composure best to register a fourth hold on the knockout title.
Both teams converted the first four of their five initial penalty kicks, and a further three in sudden death with things locked at 6-6 when controversy struck.
This, as Jamaica College’s Zinodean McLean, who had his attempt saved by STATHS’ goalkeeper Jaheem Williams, was allowed a retake as it is understood that the ball wasn’t stationery at the time of the kick, which goes against the laws of the game. McLean converted on the second occasion, after which, Kevin Hall of STATHS hit his kick over the crossbar, gifting Jamaica College the win.
While it wasn’t the way Ferguson wanted the outcome to be decided Ferguson welcomed the win which adds to the titles won in 2009, 2010 and 2017, especially after they failed to defend their more prestigious ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup.
“I think the incident at the end really marred the game, but kudos to our boys. We came out here today (Friday) and we started a little bit shaky but on the flow of the game we had the better of STATHS, still commiserations to STATHS, I think they played well. They are always a difficult opponent, but I think today we wanted it more, and our boys showed that,” Ferguson said in a post-game interview.
STATHS Head coach Phillip Williams was unavailable for a comment as the coaching staff and players were distraught and irritated that the retake was allowed.
And their disappointment is very much understandable as they would have wanted to add this Walker Cup to their solitary Manning Cup title won in 1987, and their wait to break that lengthy drought continued.
Both Jamaica College and STATHS have met in three finals last five to six years and given their rivalry, the contest, despite not being for Manning Cup honours, was always expected to be a lively one and it didn’t disappoint.
Jamaica College looked a bit more purposeful at the start, but it was STATHS that struck first in the fifth minute when Rashaun Frankson’s weighted cross inside the 18-yard box fell to an unmarked Brown, who finished a free header for his 17th goal of the season.
In the 25th, STATHS thought they had a penalty when Brown sidewined his way through two defenders and was felled inside the danger area, but referee Tyrone Robinson waved off the appeal.
Jamaica College again went on the charge in the 34th and it took a timely save by Williams, who got down well to his left, to keep out substitute Thierry Garrick’s left-footed effort.
STATHS should have doubled their advantage four minutes later, as Andre Salmon broke behind defenders and into one-on-one with Jamaica College’s custodian Raul Renton, who left his line, but tried to be fancy and the effort went well wide of the target.
Jamaica College intensified their press for the equaliser on the resumption and eventually and got it, when Sayers Jr converted from the 12-yard spot, after Malachi Sterling was felled inside the area by Alexavier Gooden.
Both teams nullified each other thereafter, but STATHS gradually regained the ascendancy and enjoyed a decent passage of play in the 70th. At that point, they found a number of openings from which they could have gone ahead, but Jamaica College stood firm and repelled everything thrown at them.
Jamaica College responded and went close four minutes later, as Sayers Jr’s well-taken freekick from just about 25 yards out, was tipped unto the crossbar by Williams.
And the “Dark Blues” almost won it late when Sterling’s weighted cross was headed down by Sayers Jr, but not properly cleared by STATHS and that allowed the powerfully built captain another opportunity, which he struck acrobatically only found the upright it in time added.
It was then down to the dreaded penalties to decide the outcome, and much like it was in 2017, 2019, as well as in the last season’s Manning Cup final and Champions Cup semi-final, Jamaica College proved the better of the two from the spot.
Sherdon Cowan is a five-time award-winning journalist with 10 years' experience covering sports.
Returning fan favourite Alonso calls Liverpool 'one of Europe's best'
Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso hailed his former club Liverpool as "one of Europe's best" as he prepares for his Anfield return.
Alonso, who spent five successful years at Anfield and helped Liverpool win the Champions League in 2005, returns to his former stomping ground when Leverkusen take on the Reds on Tuesday.
Arne Slot has won 12 of his first 14 matches in charge of Liverpool, including all three in the Champions League so far.
Leverkusen have only won one of their 11 away major European matches in England (D3 L7), and have lost their last two visits to Anfield, and Alonso is under no illusion as to the scale of the task that awaits the reigning Bundesliga champions.
"For us, it is a big challenge," he said.
"Liverpool at the moment are one of the best, if not the best, in Europe, they are showing that in the Premier League and Champions League, a good squad, great coach. We're looking forward to it. Let's see what happens.
"You can play 70 minutes great but in 20 minutes it [the game] is gone, so it is mentally and emotionally we need to be ready.
"In all areas, they are really strong, so the process works really well. [Slot] has done a fantastic job in three months."
Alonso played 210 times across all competitions for Liverpool between 2004 and 2009, scoring 18 goals and providing 20 assists.
After winning the Champions League with the Reds in 2005, he helped them reach the final in 2007, though they lost to Milan on that occasion.
However, the Spaniard does not think he will have too much time for a trip down memory lane.
"Unfortunately, there is no time for tourism – maybe a little run or walk," he said.
"I know the city very well, I love it, but tomorrow I will focus on the game and only the game.
"It feels great to be back here after a few years. It's always special. You notice the development of the club; the new stand looks amazing.
"It is a big game against Liverpool, it cannot get much better than that."
The omens are not great for Leverkusen, though.
Liverpool have lost one of their last 21 European meetings with German opponents (W14 D6), albeit that one defeat came against Leverkusen in 2002.
“We want everyone involved”- Chung hoping for massive support for Reggae Boyz in Nations League Quarterfinal against USA
General Secretary of the Jamaica Football Federation, Dennis Chung, is hoping that Jamaicans come out in their numbers to support the Reggae Boyz during both legs of their CONCACAF Nations League Quarter-final at the National Stadium in Kingston on Thursday, November 14 and Energizer Park in St. Louis, Missouri on Monday, November 18.
The Reggae Boyz will be looking for revenge over their American counterparts after suffering defeat to them at the semi-final stage of last season’s Nations League 1-3 in extra time. The USA went on to win the whole thing with a 2-0 victory over Mexico in the final while the Reggae Boyz beat Panama 1-0 to claim third place.
If the Boyz are to get over the hump this time around, Chung understands that a massive part of it will be the energy they receive from the thousands of Jamaican fans in attendance.
“We are at the quarterfinal stage. We want to ensure that we are there in our numbers supporting the Boyz because we have to make it past the mighty USA which, after we finish with them, they won’t be so mighty,” Chung said in press conference on Monday.
As such, three support groups for Jamaican football-Reggae Boyz Supporters Club, Reggae Football Fans Club and Reggae Boyz Community, are all making it possible for fans from all over the diaspora to have an opportunity to cheer on the Reggae Boyz live and in person.
“We want to welcome this partnership because this is a way for us now to reach our fanbase. We want to ensure that everyone is involved. At the last two games we had over 17,000 people in attendance and that, for us, is very important. It’s not just about playing football. It’s about getting everybody involved,” Chung said on Monday.
Errol Walters and Louis Grant, members of the Reggae Football Fans Club, were also on hand on Monday and gave an overview of this initiative.
“It’s an honor and a pleasure to be serving our country in this way. What we’re trying to do is create an opportunity for fans in the diaspora that we use our collective bargaining power to negotiate to go to the games,” Walters said.
“There are times when I’m in London and want to go to a game and I have no one to travel with so it was always my dream to create a database to say listen, who’s going to the game from where,” Walters added.
Grant explained that this idea came about because of the desire of members of the diaspora to be a driving force behind the support of the team on their journey to the World Cup in 2026.
“This was birthed out a desire to be the proverbial 12th man for our football teams and more so for the second iteration of the historic trip to the World Cup. We, as members of the diaspora here in the United States, think it’s only right that we play our part in drumming up support as far as leveraging air travel, accommodation, and support,”
“For example, we’ve been in touch with US Soccer with regards to the game in St. Louis. We’ve gotten a section that we can have all or most of our supporters concentrated to create that ‘Office’ vibe,”
“In my experience, we’ve gone to games in my area and you’d see our supporters and our flag sparsely across the various stadiums and we are of the opinion that if we were more concentrated in one section, it bodes well or it is a better look and feel for our team,” he added.
Fulham 2-1 Brentford: Wilson's late brace seals comeback win
Harry Wilson scored twice in stoppage time as Fulham came back to beat Brentford 2-1 in an enthralling West London derby.
Wilson was the hero from Fulham's bench on Monday, as Marco Silva's team – who were on the wrong end of a late comeback against Everton last time out in the Premier League – salvaged a victory from the jaws of defeat.
Fulham will feel it was a win they earned from a match they dominated from the off, with the Bees having taken the lead against the run of play through Vitaly Janelt's stunning 24th-minute strike.
But the Fulham pressure finally told when Wilson rose high to flick in his first in the 92nd minute, and – after Bernd Leno made a superb stop to thwart Brentford at the other end – the former Liverpool midfielder nodded in again to send Craven Cottage into raptures.
Fulham's win takes them up into ninth, while Brentford drop to 12th after suffering a fifth league loss of the season.
Data Debrief: Super-sub Wilson to the rescue
Fulham will feel they deserved to come away from that match with three points, having had 26 shots, 12 of which were on target, in an incredibly dominant display.
They also had 46 touches in the opposition box compared to Brentford's nine, but they could not make those count, at least until Wilson's late intervention as he finally broke through Brentford's stubborn defence.
The Welshman scored with both of his shots on target, having three attempts overall, with his goals coming from a combined 0.19 expected goals.
The Bees looked sure to get a first away win, and first clean sheet, of the Premier League season until their late lapse in concentration, and they have now dropped 14 points from winning positions in the competition this season, more than any other team.
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