Dunbeholden Football Club’s recent signings have added a new dimension to Lenworth “Teacha” Hyde’s squad and are pushing teammates to reach a higher level, as the St Catherine-based team continued its Wray and Nephew Jamaica Premier League (WNJPL) playoff hunt with a 3-0 win over Harbour View, on Monday.

Dwight Merrick (35th), on loan from Mount Pleasant FA, and Rojay Smith (89th), who signed from Harbour View in January, joined Carlington Blackwood (72nd) on the score sheet, as Dunbeholden outshone the “Stars of the East”, at Stadium East field.

They have now won three games on the trot in a five-match unbeaten run and are now sixth on 33 points, three ahead of closest rival Waterhouse FC (30 points). Mount Pleasant (46 points), Cavalier (44 points), Tivoli Gardens (41 points), Portmore United (41 points) and Arnett Gardens (38 points), occupy the other playoff positions.

Dunbeholden’s assistant coach Ricardo Smith, was delighted by the team’s dominant display and current vein of form heading into the business end of the season.

“I am very impressed by the win, especially with the clean sheet. The performance was so good that I can't pick out a player to say they didn’t play well. Everybody had a good game and the fact that we are back in a playoff position is an even bigger positive,” Smith said.

After going down 0-2 to Harbour View earlier in the season, Dunbeholden were mindful not to suffer another defeat in a similar manner and that might have resulted in their cagey start.

However, once they found rhythm, it was only a matter of time before they broke the deadlock, which they eventually did when Merrick drove a firm left-footer from about 20 yards out pass Trinidad and Tobago-born custodian Glenroy Samuels, at his near post.

With Merrick’s second goal of the season proving the difference at the end of the first half, Harbour View showed more purpose at the top of the second half, and enjoyed a good passage of play in which they used the right channel well to provide service inside the box, but failed to get on target.

In fact, of the four shots that Harbour View got off throughout the entire game, none was on target, and that all but explains why they succumbed to a fourth-consecutive defeat.

Dunbeholden doubled their lead in the 72nd minute courtesy of a tidy team build-up, which comprised 16 passes, very much reflective of a typical Lenworth Hyde-coached team. That series of ball movement opened up Harbour View’s defence and Donovan Segree played a perfect final pass through to Blackwood, who applied an excellent finish.

They almost had a third three minutes later when Segree found space at the top of the 18-yard box for a left-footed effort, which was tipped over by Samuels.

But with Harbour View offering very little in attack, Dunbeholden applied consistent pressure and inevitably gifted another. Samuels gave up possession to substitute Brian Burkett, who played a pass across goal for Smith to tap in, and put Harbour View, who were celebrating the club's 50th anniversary, out of their misery.

Harbour View’s Head coach Ludlow Bernard was again left disappointed by his team’s sub-par display, which all but sums up why they are currently in 11th position on 19 points.

“It was a non-performance from us, and we only have ourselves to blame. I mean, when I look at the three goals, it's really a crying shame,” Bernard lamented.

“I don't want to come with a blame game over the air, it is something we have to deal with internally, but clearly someone has to answer to the goals. It really costs us, especially at a critical point in the game when we're just getting on top of the game and getting ready to come back in the game and you concede a goal like that…its Unthinkable,” he added.

Matchweek 21 Results

Lime Hall 1, Molynes United 2

Portmore United 1, Montego Bay United 1

Treasure Beach 0, Tivoli Gardens 5

Vere United 0, Arnett Gardens 1

Waterhouse 0, Mount Pleasant 1

Cavalier FC 1, Humble Lion 1

Dunbeholden FC 3, Harbour View 0

 

 

After a 6-0 aggregate beating from Major League Soccer (MLS) outfit FC Cincinnati in Concacaf Champions Cup play, Rudolph Speid and his Cavalier unit would have hoped for better fortunes on return to the Wray and Nephew Jamaica Premier League (WNJPL).

While they did well to come from behind in a 1-1 stalemate with Humble Lion, the outcome was by no means pleasing to Speid, who felt they were undone by poor officiating in the lukewarm contest at Stadium East field on Monday.

With the score tied in the dying moments of the game, after Andre Clennon (56th) fired Humble Lion in front, and Jalmaro Calvin (72nd) responded for Cavalier, Jeovanni Laing thought he had the winner for Speid’s side, but the goal was disallowed by referee Andre Farquharson.

This, as there was some contact between Laing and Humble Lion’s goalkeeper Shamal Briscoe in a challenge for possession leading up to the goal. However, replay showed that Laing got to the ball well ahead of the advancing Briscoe, who through momentum, then collided with the attacker’s trailing leg on his way towards goal.

The call left Speid fuming, as it denied his team two points which would have pushed them back to the summit of the league, albeit on goal difference. Instead, they remain second on 44 points, two behind reigning champions Mount Pleasant FA (46 points), but with a game in hand.

“There was another call for a penalty that we didn't get, and then that was a clean goal. These are not easy things to miss. It is the most difficult thing for you make a call like that wrong. I mean after we spend millions of dollars to play football, we are supposed to win our game, if we get to win our game. Frankly, I think we won the game, except for that blatant call that has no place in football,” Speid argued.

Cavalier earlier dominated proceedings, and squandered numerous chances, in a goalless first half, much to Speid’s disappointment.

It was almost like rubbing salt in a wound when Clennon put Humble Lion in front 11 minutes into the resumption, as he fired home from close range, after Cavalier failed to clear their lines from Xavian Virgo’s freekick.

Cavalier later bossed possession in their press for the equalizer, which eventually came in the 72nd when Calvin glanced a perfectly weighted cross from Laing into the far corner of the goal for his 10th of the season.

Speid’s side maintained the momentum from there, and thought they had the winner in time added, but for the controversial call.

“I am not happy with the performance because we got a lot of opportunities, especially in the first half that we could have done better with. But again, it was just a difficult game to play, every time we challenged, it was a call, so it was just difficult for us to play this game,” Speid said.

“It is very important that we maintain it (our challenge for the top spot), but if we get games like this, we don't know what's going to happen because I didn't think this was a fair result,” he added.

Humble Lion’s Head coach Vassell Reynolds found more positives in the result, especially with his Clarendon-based team fighting to stay above the relegation zone.

They are currently in 12th position on 19 points, seven points ahead of Treasure Beach (12 points), who occupies the drop zone with the other promoted team Lime Hall Academy (seven points).

“Many people thought that we would have come here and get a beating, but I thought the guys played gallantly and I think we deserve at least a point from the game,” Reynolds said.

“We want to move away from this, from this dreaded zone just to prevent us looking over our shoulder when we are playing, and also, so that we can go out and play with a little bit more confidence. So, a few more points in the upcoming games and we should be fine,” he noted.

Tivoli Gardens, for the second time this season, downed neighbours Arnett Gardens 3-1, but the manner in which they did it on this occasion would certainly have sent a message to their other rivals in the Wray and Nephew Jamaica Premier League (WNJPL).

Not only did Tivoli Gardens have to come from behind in the marquee Monday night encounter at the Stadium East Field, but they did so at a numerical disadvantage in tough underfoot conditions caused by evening showers.

The West Kingston team was spurred by a brace from former Arnett Gardens winger Steve Clarke (76th and 80th), and a long overdue strike from the league's joint leading scorer Justin Dunn (73rd), after they lost substitute Howard Morris to a straight red card in the 61st. Fabian Reid had earlier put Arnett Gardens in front in the 57th minute.

With the win, which extended their unbeaten run across four matches, Tivoli's Gardens inched up to fourth on 34 points, while Arnett Gardens, who had their three-match unbeaten run snapped, slipped to fourth on 33 points.

Winning coach Jerome Waite welcomed Clarke's impact on his return to the league.

"Despite the fact that we weren't prepared where the proper footing is concerned, the result ended in our favour. I spoke about the players who came in through the transfer market and today you saw what those players basically have to offer," Waite said, adding that losing Morris didn't affect their game plan much.

"The only change was that we had a three-pronged attack, and we asked one of those players to sit in the midfield. These players, the worked that they put in leading up to this game, showed here and it can only can better as the season progresses," he noted.

Arnett Gardens dominated proceedings for most of the first half and had a few openings from which they should have opened the scoring but failed to make them count. After Warner Brown skied a left-footed effort from deep inside the 18-yard box, Keheim Dixon, had a clear 12th-minute opportunity in a one-on-one situation with Tivoli Gardens goalkeeper Diego Haughton, but fired his effort into the crossbar.

With very little going Tivoli Gardens way, Dunn tried his luck from a distance, but Asher Hutchinson in goal for Arnett Gardens, got down well to his right to parry.

Reid also had a grand opportunity to break the deadlock in the 27th minute when he went on a break and dismissed Haughton, who strayed off his line, but the Arnett Gardens captain was undone by the conditions, as the score remained goalless at the break.

However, Reid made amends for his earlier slip up and sent the ‘Junglists’ in front 12 minutes into the resumption, as he got on the end of a Jamone Shepherd pass and fired past Haughton, who again strayed off his line and was caught in no man's land.

Along with the lead, Arnett Gardens also had a numerical advantage when Morris was sent for an early shower by referee Oshane Nation, but seemingly got complacent, and were punished for it. This, as Tivoli Gardens went rampant in the final 20 minutes of the contest and were assisted by some shoddy defending by their opponents.

The West Kingston team’s fortunes turned when a well-struck 71st-minute freekick by substitute Vishinul Harris, was kept out parried by Hutchinson and Shepherd senselessly felled Alton Lewis inside the danger area.

Dunn, who endured a lengthy goal drought after his blistering start to the season, stepped up and converted from the 12-yard spot to pull Tivoli Gardens level with his 10th goal of the season.

From there, it was the Steve Clarke show, as the former Arnett Gardens man doubled the lead three minutes later when he got on the end of Harris’s delightful through-pass and fired past Hutchinson on a second attempt.

Clarke then completed his brace and the victory for Tivoli Gardens when he finished a right-footer with aplomb, after Arnett Gardens failed to clear their lines from Shaquille Jones’s cross.

Arnett Gardens' Head coach Xavier Gilbert believed they were undone by a lack of proper game management. 

"I think we made some poor decisions around the back, but credit to Tivoli Gardens for the way they came at us because I think we managed the game poorly and we have to be smarter than that. We were a goal up and a man up and I just don't think we made good decisions, so it's just unfortunate and we just have move on...bounce back quickly and a move on," Gilbert said.

Matchweek 17 Results

Lime Hall Academy 1, Treasure Beach FC 0

Montego Bay United 2, Vere United 0

Portmore United 1, Dunbeholden 1

Mount Pleasant FA 1, Molynes United 1

Waterhouse 0, Cavalier FC 1

Humble Lion 2, Harbour View 4

Tivoli Gardens 3, Arnett Gardens 1

Waterhouse Football Club again demonstrated why they are among the frontrunners to challenge for this season’s Wray and Nephew Jamaica Premier League (JPL) title, when they outclassed the promoted Treasure Beach FC 4-1 in a lopsided encounter at Stadium East on Monday. 
 
Andre Fletcher rekindled his goalscoring form with a brace in the 24th and 82nd minutes, while Javane Bryan (32nd) and substitute Rondee Smith (90+2) got the others. Lorenzo Lewin (42nd) got the consolation for Treasure Beach, who ended with 10 players after Ramario Thompson picked up a second yellow in the 54th minute.
 
With the win, Waterhouse moved up to fourth position on 15 points, a mere four points off reigning champions and leaders Mount Pleasant on 19 points. Treasure Beach continues to find life in the nation's top-flight tough, as they sit 12th on the 14-team standing with seven points.
 
Waterhouse's assistant coach Damion Gordon, welcomed the performance, which he hailed as a testament of the players character, as he hinted and behind-the-scene challenges that have thwarted their progress at times.
 
"It shows a strong mentality; we did well to take our chances when they came and overall, it was a good team performance. We are growing, we've had our challenges and setbacks, but we are rising above them, and we will remain strong, so I believe some positive results are ahead of us," Gordon said in a post-match interview.
 
Though Waterhouse started favourites to take all the points, the Drewsland-based team's inconsistent run of three wins, three draws and three losses was such that it many weren't sure what to expect against their St Elizabeth opponents.
 
And they had an early scare which justified that much, as newly installed goalkeeper John Wilson toyed around with the ball and was rushed by a Treasure Beach attacker, who almost deflected the inevitable clearance into the net.
 
However, Waterhouse settled soon after and gradually gained the ascendancy in a good passage of play, but their hunt to break the deadlock proved fruitless at that point.

The go-ahead goal inevitably came when Nickoy Christian's well-timed pass sent Fletcher on his way, and the player sporting the number 15 jersey drove a right-footer past Carlye Holmes in goal for Treasure Beach.

Bryan doubled the lead eight minutes later with a cool, calm and collected finish from deep inside the 18-yard box his seventh of the season.
 
Waterhouse should have had a third in the 40th, as Denardo Thomas was allowed a free header at the far post, but couldn't keep the effort down after he rose above defenders to meet Shemar Boothe's weighted cross.
 
That let-off offered Treasure Beach some semblance of hope, even moreso when Lewin got in behind defenders and lobbed a left-footed shot over Wilson, who had no chance at a save, to make it 2-1 at the break.
 
Both teams came out spiritedly on the resumption, but Treasure Beach threatened first through Lewin, who produced a tidy run down the left channel, but couldn't pick out a teammate in the final third.
 
Waterhouse responded immediately courtesy of Bryan, whose effort was charged down by a defender. 
 
Despite the numerical disadvantage after Thompson took out Denardo Thomas from behind and was ejected,  Treasure Beach held firm until the latter stages of the contest when Waterhouse again gathered momentum. 
 
After having an earlier effort blocked, Flecther eventually completed his brace when he finished off a decent build-up orchestrated by substitute Revaldo Mitchell, who got by three defenders, and allowed Christian to provide another assist.
 
And minutes later, another substitute Leonardo Jibbison produced a darting run down the right channel and later picked out Rondee Smith, who fired home from the top of the 18-yard box to cap the win in time added.
 
Fitzroy Ambusley, assistant coach of Treasure Beach is confident that they will eventually find a momentum which will allow them to play another season of top-flight football.
 
"I would say unfortunate. We came here with the mindset to win but things didn't go our way. I thought the guys fought well even after we went down to 10 players, but it just wasn't our night. But we will continue to fight, and we will stay up (in the league)," he declared.

Wolmer’s Boys and Mannings High celebrated double delight, as they were crowned ISSA Burger King Under-14 and Under-16 All-island champions after beating St Elizabeth Technical High (STETHS) and Jamaica College 4-1 and 2-0 in their respective encounters at Stadium East on Saturday.

Jayden Douglas (14th) opened the scoring for Wolmer’s Boys, before Rohan Sharpe helped himself to a hat-trick in the 21st, 35+2 and 50th, which propelled Wolmer’s Boys to victory. Eckoney Robinson (44th) got STETHS consolation, in the 70-minute contest.

Winning coach Haron Martin was delighted that his Heroes Circle team secured a second title for the season, after taking the urban area crown.

“I am happy and elated. It has been a long season with a lot of sacrifices, so it is great that we end with two trophies. Words can’t explain the true feeling, this only motivates me and of course the boys going forward,” he said in a post-game interview.

Meanwhile, goals Dainton Williams (48th) and Jarvis Maylor (53rd) were enough to get Mannings past Jamaica College in the 80-minute Under-16 showpiece.

After playing out a goalless first half in which Jamaica College squandered numerous chances, Mannings proved strongest in the second half and broke the deadlock when Williams fired home from close range.

Maylor added another five minutes later with a comfortable finish. Try as they did, Jamaica College had no response, and had to settle for the runner-up position.

Mannings Head coach Everton Tomlinson welcomed the double triumph as a step in the right direction for the Westmoreland-based school.

“I am very delighted, and I want to take this opportunity to big up everyone who supported and believed in the programme. I must commend the players also on their performance, I understand the Jamaica College programme, so it was a matter of how we countered their strengths that resulted in this victory. So, this is just a step in the right direction as we continue to build,” Tomlinson noted.

Arnett Gardens Head coach Xavier Gilbert expressed delight about his team’s dominant showing against Vere United, as they gave football enthusiasts a glimpse of the depth of their squad with a 2-0 win in Wray and Nephew Jamaica Premier League action on Monday night.

Rushane Thompson (32nd) and Jaheim Thomas (72nd) were on target for the “Junglists”, who despite being without a few of their regular starters due to red card suspensions, extended their unbeaten run across three games.

The win moved Arnett Gardens up to 14 points in second position, five behind reigning champions and leaders Mount Pleasant, and one ahead of third-placed Tivoli Gardens, who registered a 3-2 win over Treasure Beach in the feature game of the double-header at Stadium East.

This is much to the delight of Gilbert, who was hoping to keep their chasing rivals at bay.

"I am very happy with the way we executed, the table is really tight between second and sixth, so it was important for us to get the three points and inch up the table a little bit. So, it's a welcome one, especially knowing that Tivoli Gardens is also playing and if they win, they are right behind us," Gilbert said in a post-match interview. 

"Another important component was the fact that players stepped up, we try to ensure that we have a balanced squad so when persons miss out, others can bridge the gap, so I am really pleased with the guys that came in and got the job done. That's the mentality that we want, it is something we have been trying to do to ensure everybody is competing for their spot and that is exactly what they are doing," he added.

Arnett dominated from the start, as they were showed more enterprise in their build ups, and also produced some colorful plays in patches. But it wasn’t until two minutes after the half-hour mark that the inevitably found the go-ahead goal when Thompson arrived to finish off Shai Smith’s pass across the face of goal.

Warner Brown almost added a second in the latter stages of the first half, but his right-footed effort on the break, was kept out by the outstretched leg of Roje Williams, in goal for Vere United.

Though they continued to boss possession and created numerous half chances, Arnett Gardens had to wait until late in the second half to extend their lead, when poor defending followed by an error by Williams who left his line, allowed Thomas to finish into an empty net from close range, after Warner Brown's effort came back off the crossbar.

Vere United tried to play and created a few half chances of their own but couldn't make them count, and succumbed to their third defeat of the season, which left them eighth in the standing on eight points.

Vere United's assistant coach Jermaine Douglas was left disappointed.

"We never got off the mark in terms of attack and the second goal that we conceded, we were just getting into the game, we lapsed and got caught on the transition and it was really unfortunate that we conceded at that time. But we weren't productive in the final third and at the end of the day if you're not scoring goals or not being dangerous in front of goal, we can't win games, so we have some mental work to do," Douglas noted.

Matchweek Eight results

Molynes United 0, Lime Hall 0

Montego Bay United 3, Portmore United 2

Mount Pleasant 0, Waterhouse 0

Arnett Gardens 2, Vere United 0

Tivoli Gardens 3, Treasure Beach 2

Harbour View vs Dunbeholden (postponed)

Humble Lion vs Cavalier (postponed)

Both Jerome Waite of Tivoli Gardens and Portmore United’s Head coach Phillip Williams took heart from their team’s performance and remain optimistic about returning to winning ways, following a lukewarm goalless Wray and Nephew Jamaica Premier League encounter at Stadium East on Monday.

It was a contest in which Waite and his Tivoli Gardens unit would have felt more hard done, as they dominated proceedings to an extent and created the best of chances. They were particularly good in the first half, as lead striker Justin Dunn and a few others got some decent attempts on target but were denied by some high-quality saves by Tyrone Williams, in goal for Portmore United.

There was very little to write home about at the top of the resumption, as tempers flared more often than shots on goal, with the best effort of that stanza coming in the 79th minute. That was when Portmore United’s Akeem Mullings drove a left-footer from a distance, but the effort was kept out by Tivoli’s custodian Nicholas Clarke.

With the point, Tivoli Gardens recovered somewhat from their recent 0-1 loss to Mount Pleasant, and inched up to 10 points in fifth position, while third-placed Portmore United, on 11 points, extended their unbeaten run across five games.

Both coaches felt their respective teams entertained spectators, but in the same breath, alluded to the need for improvements, if they are to challenge for the title at the backend of the season.

"Congrats to both teams, it was really an entertaining game, and we have to give credit to the Portmore United goalkeeper. He just reminded me some years ago we called him into the national Under-20 setup but due to his agent, he didn't turn up. What he did today (Monday) made the difference but all being well, we are happy with the point," Waite said in a post-match interview.

"We also have a lot of positives to take from the game, the high-level concentration, defensive organization and we continue to create opportunities offensively, but I think we need to click a little more in the midfield to strike a real balance, but we continue to work," he added.

Meanwhile, Williams felt his team displayed their usual heart and passion. 

"It was a game that was lacking goals but in terms of entertainment it was there, the commitment was also there for goals, and it is just unfortunate that we didn’t get one.

“This is the Premier League so it's important that we always assess our opponents and make the necessary adjustments to give ourselves a chance. It's still a work in progress with this squad and it is going to take some amount of luck, consistency and quality to really challenge for the title and we just have to put it all together,” Williams reasoned.

Matchweek Seven Results

Lime Hall 1, Vere United 4

Dunbeholden FC 2, Molynes United 1

Montego Bay United 1, Mount Pleasant FA 2

Waterhouse FC 0, Humble Lion 1

Tivoli Gardens 0, Portmore United 0

Cavalier vs Arnett Gardens (Postponed due to Caribbean Cup)

Treasure Beach vs Harbour View (Postponed due to Caribbean Cup)

Waterhouse's assistant coach Damion Gordon believes the club is already on the right path to turn around their fortunes from last season and, by extension, achieve their ambitions, as they whipped Vere United 4-1 in a dominant display at Stadium East on Monday.
 
The prolific Javane Bryan, with goals in the 9th, 25th and 59th minutes, registered the season’s second hat-trick, to join Justin Dunn on six goals, shortly after the Tivoli Gardens striker also assisted his team to victory over another Clarendon opponent in the curtain-raiser of the double-header.
 
Substitute Jaheim Dorman (90+5) got the other goal for Waterhouse, while captain Javier Brown (88th) got Vere United's consolation from the penalty spot.
 
With the win, Waterhouse, who are now on a four-match unbeaten run, moved the second on 10 points with 11 goals to their credit. Vere United remain eighth on five points.
 
While reflecting on last season’s disappointment when they finished eighth on 39 points with a 26-goal tally, Gordon expressed pleasure with both Bryan's and the team's current trajectory, as they have sights set on Concacaf club football.
 
"We are looking at great things because we definitely want to get into a playoff spot and we definitely want to get into the Concacaf tournament, so this was a good result for us," Gordon declared.
 
"Javane Bryan was brilliant, he feeds off the supply of the team and his work ethics says a lot, so his goalscoring form is just a reward of how hard he has been working. But there is a lot more work to be done in terms of us off the ball movement, and we actually used our weakness from the last game to help trap our opponents tonight (Monday), hence the reason why we got a lot of goals coming down the flanks," he added.
 
Waterhouse were more purposeful from the start and opened the scoring in the ninth minute when Brown got on the end of a delightful Navardo Blair pass, and finished with aplomb at the far post, leaving Roje Williams, in goal for Vere United, as a mere spectator.
 
Bryan doubled the lead in the 25th, as he finished a free header from Andre Fletcher's weighted cross after he was again left unmarked at the far post.
 
Waterhouse continued to apply pressure but the probe to add to their tally in the first half, proved fruitless as they went to the break 2-0 up.
 
However, they didn't have to wait too long after the interval for another goal. This, as Bryan was on hand to finish a rebound after Denardo Thomas's header from a Nickoy Christian freekick came back off the left upright.
 
After offering very little in the attacking third for most of the game, Vere United gradually came to life and had a few half chances, the best of which came in the 77th when Steve Pinnock's diving header just went wide.
 
However, the Clarendon-based team got something belated got something to celebrate when the referee awarded a controversial penalty which Brown and Vere gladly accepted. 
 
Whatever joy Vere felt at the end of that goal was shortlived as Waterhouse added another in time added. Substitute Donte Duncan showed nippy footwork to get by two defenders on the right channel and open space for pass which Dorman finished off from close range.
 
Jermaine Douglas, assistant coach of Vere United blasted his team's poor defensive display.
 
"We conceded two early goals because we never protected our back post properly and we were always chasing the game after that. We have to do some analysis because we never started like we wanted to play. In the second half, the mood and intensity were up and then we conceded again at the back post and that's where we lost the game, we just never defended properly," Douglas noted.
 
Match week results
 
Lime Hall 1, Cavalier 1
Portmore United 2, Molynes United 0
Treasure Beach 0, Dunbeholden FC 0
Mount Pleasant FA 2, Harbour View 0
Montego Bay United 1, Arnett Gardens 3
Tivoli Gardens 4, Humble Lions 1
Waterhouse 4, Vere United 1
Jerome Waite and Tivoli Gardens continued their vibrant start to the Wray and Nephew Jamaica Premier League (WNJPL) season, as they downed Humble Lions 4-1 in a lopsided encounter at Stadium East Field on Monday.
 
The dynamic duo of Justin Dunn and Howard Morris proved menacing on the day, and both bagged a brace to lift the West Kingston team to a third win in four games so far this season.
 
Dunn continued his rich vein of form with goals in the 2nd and 53rd minutes that took his tally to six, while Morris's goals (45+1 and 88th), moved his tally to three. Interestingly, it was a 29th-minute own-goal by Tivoli's captain Barrington Pryce that turned out to be Humble Lions consolation. 
 
While Humble Lions remain seventh on five points, Tivoli Gardens inched up to third on nine points with 11 goals to their count, and that puts them well on course to surpass last season’s tally off 22 points and 29 goals. 
 
That for Waite was always the objective. 
 
"There is always room for improvement, even though we scored all goals, it could have been more, but poor decision-making and faulty execution let us down. If you know me, I am a very attacking coach and the whole objective is to score goals because goals make the difference in a game, so we just want to continue putting our best foot forward and see where it takes us this season," Waite said in a post-match interview.
 
It was a frantic start to the contest by Tivoli Gardens, who went straight to work from the whistle and quickly broke the deadlock courtesy of a slick one-two combination between Morris and Dunn, as the latter applied the finish past Prince-Daniel Smith from close range.
 
Though tempers flared in the early exchanges, particularly on the part of Humble Lions players, Tivoli Gardens maintained a cool and continued to frustrate the opponents with tidy movements in the attacking third.
 
Morris should have doubled the lead in the 15th minute when he was allowed space and time at the top of the 18-yard box to pull the trigger, but his shot didn't have enough venom to beat Smith.
 
That missed opportunity came back to haunt them 14 minutes later, as Humble Lions pulled level when Pryce turned an intended cross by Fabian Pascoe into his own net.
 
But that was all the Clarendon-based team would get against a dominant Tivoli Gardens outfit that was both brisk and enterprising in their build ups. In fact, Humble Lions struggled with defensive organization throughout, and Tivoli Gardens happily exploited those areas.
 
Another tidy team build up released Dunn in space to play a pass in for Morris, who made no mistakes on that occasion to out the West Kingston team 2-1 up at the break.
 
Tivoli maintained the momentum on the resumption and extended the lead eight minutes in, as Dunn arrived on the end of a delightful through pass from Nickalia Fuller and drove home a left-footer that gave Smith no chance at a save.
 
From there, Waite's side continued to apply consistent pressure to which Humble Lions had no response, and though they were made to wait in their probe for another goal, it inevitably came Two minutes from time.
 
This, when Dunn released another pass inside the danger area and Morris capitalized on the time and space to thump a right-footer past the hapless Smith and cap the win, which left Waite pleased for the most parts.
 
"Depending on the strength of the opposition, once we identify those areas, there are players who will be given a task (to nullify that strength) and all you want them to do is deliver on the day. The team has been doing well so far and it is our hope that the work they do in training will make the difference on game days," Waite said. 
 
His counterpart Andrew Price cut a dejected figure as he summed up his team's dismal performance. 
 
"I don't think we showed up, defensively we were out of shape, and we just didn't look interested in the game. This is the worse display I have seen from the team. I am disappointed with the way the team played and I expected more from them. But we just need to forget this quickly and get ourselves ready for the next game," Price said.
 
"We have to do some introspection; we know we are much better than this and so we have to get back to basics and start doing the simple things. We usually take pride in our defensive abilities, and we didn't show that and like I said its very disappointing," he added.

Reigning champions Jamaica College revived their chances of a successful title defence, while Kingston College made a big statement, as both registered victories in their respective ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup quarterfinal encounters at Stadium East field on Tuesday.

Davion Ferguson’s Jamaica College, who lost their first contest to Hydel High, returned to winning ways with a 2-1 win over reigning Walker Cup champions Tivoli High in Group Two.

Elsewhere in the group, many-time champions St George’s College came from behind to secure a 1-1 stalemate with Hydel at the Ashenheim Stadium.

With those results, St George’s College remain atop the group on four points, same as Hydel but with a slightly better goal difference. Jamaica College occupies third position on three points, with Tivoli Gardens now out of contention for a semi-final berth.

In Group Two, Jaheim McLean’s all-important goal lifted Kingston College to a 1-0 win over perennial rivals St Andrew Technical High School (STATHS) in a clash which was a repeat of last year’s semi-finals.

It was another lively clash between the two that could have gone either way, but Mclean’s 18th-minute strike proved the difference, as Mona High and St Catherine high played out a 1-1 stalemate in the other group fixture.

The win saw the North Street-based Kingston College to the summit of the group on four points, one ahead of STATHS, while Mona (two points) and St Catherine (one point), remain in contention heading into Friday’s final round of games.

In the feature contest at Stadium East, Kingston College fired the first warning shot through Demario Dailey, who attempted an acrobatic finish that just went wide of the target.

STATHS settled into their rhythm and controlled the tempo of the game from there on, as they created a few half chances of their own which they failed to make count.

The Bumper Hall-based team was caught napping when a quickly taken freekick found McLean open and the player sporting the number 10 jersey had a decent first touch and an even better finish to send the North Street fans into a frenzy.

Though Kingston College led the contest, STATHS looked the more dominant outfit and the Phillip Williams-coached team almost pulled level on the stroke of halftime. A delightful strike from Alexavier Gooden from about 40 yards out rattled the underside of the crossbar and bounced on the goal line.

STATHS maintained the momentum on the resumption and should have pulled level three minutes in, but Andre Salmon went for power instead of accuracy from deep inside the 18-yard box. He was left annoyed by his poor decision.

With Kingston College content on sitting back, STATHS again went close in the 70th minute. Taraine Hall found time and space inside the final third for a stinging left-footed effort that was well saved by Malique Williams diving to his left.

The famed purples, much like they did at the start, had the last attack of the game, but Dailey’s effort from a distance came off the upright.

Winning coach Vassell Reynolds praised his young charges for their execution.

“I am very proud. It was a tough game, we knew it was going to come down to the last 20 minutes, so we relied on fitness. I believe we are a lot fitter than we think, so kudos to the boys they have been working very hard and I think it was a masterful performance from them,” Reynolds said in a post-game interview.

His counterpart Williams also felt his team gave a good showing.

“It was a good performance, we turned off one time and we got punished, but apart from that, the guys displayed some good football. This is a setback because it makes the last game (against Mona) a little tougher, but we have to go and do what we have to do,” he noted.

Tuesday’s results

Group One

Mona 1, St Catherine 1

Kingston College 1, STATHS 0

Group Two

Jamaica College 2, Tivoli High 1

St George’s College 1, Hydel High 1

Friday’s fixtures

Group One

STATHS vs Mona

Kingston College vs St Catherine

Group Two

Hydel High vs Tivoli High

Jamaica College vs St George’s College

Clarendon College are All-Island schoolboy football champions for the sixth time after producing a stunning 3-0 win over Jamaica College in the Olivier Shield at Stadium East on Wednesday.

The Chapleton based school, who won their tenth daCosta Cup earlier in December with a 3-0 triumph over Central High at STETHS, took the lead in the 20th minute when Marques Reid capitalized on an error from JC goalkeeper Rassico Rose to slot home his 10th goal of the season.

Centre-back Devonti Hodges made it 2-0 just two minutes later with a thunderous strike from outside the penalty area.

With six minutes left, Keheim Dixon put the final nail in JC’s coffin with his 17th goal of the season to secure the title, their first 2019.

 

Kingston College dethroned rivals Jamaica College to claim their 16th Manning Cup title.

After playing out a 1-1 draw in regulation, Kingston College held their nerve to secure a 5-4 penalty shootout victory in the game at Stadium East.

Kingston College took the lead in the 29th minute through talisman Christopher Pearson who gave them the advantage with a calm finish.

Jamaica College got their equalizer with a 43rd-minute free-kick from captain Duncan McKenzie.

The game ended 1-1 after 90 minutes which sent the game to penalties.

Kingston College captain Jemone Barclay stepped up to slot home KC’s first penalty.

Romaine Blake followed suit for Jamaica College to make it 1-1.

Carrick Stewart of KC and Michael Graham of JC then both scored to make it 2-2.

KC’s goal-scorer on the day, Christopher Pearson, then stepped up to kick the third penalty but was the first casualty as his penalty was saved by JC goalkeeper Denzel Smith.

Captain Duncan McKenzie then scored for JC to make it 3-2 in the shootout.

KC’s Romario Campbell, who was put on at the end of added time specifically take a penalty, scored to make it 3-3.

JC’s Giovanni Mitto then stepped up to try and make it 4-3 but blasted his penalty over the bar.

Louis Watson then scored to make it 4-3 to KC.

JC’s Tarick Ximines scored to make it 4-4 and take it to sudden death before KC’s Demario McCarthy scored for KC to make it 5-4.

The match was decided when Jaheem Fraser’s penalty was saved by KC goalkeeper David Martin.

KC secured their 16th hold on the Manning Cup and a date with daCosta Cup champions Garvey Maceo in the Olivier Shield.

St. Catherine High secured back-to-back Walker Cup titles with a 1-0 win over Kingston Technical in the final at Stadium East on Saturday.

Despite what the final score suggests, it was a dominant display from St. Catherine who came close to opening the scoring in the 5th minute when Dwight Gentles hit the crossbar with a left-footed strike.

They once again found themselves unlucky when a right-footed shot from Jevin Parkinson cannoned off the left upright in the 57th minute.  Their persistence was eventually rewarded when they took the lead with the only goal of the game, a well-placed 89th-minute header from substitute Dillion Richards.

 

In 2019, Clarendon College suffered a heart-breaking 1-0 loss to Kingston College in the final of the ISSA Champions Cup.

Three years later, the Chapleton-based school have gone one better after scoring a 1-0 win over Dinthill Technical at Stadium East to win the ISSA Champions Cup.

In a back-and-forth affair, both teams traded chances throughout the first half before the deadlock was finally broken in the second half when a deflected shot from Jaheim Rose found its way to the feet of Kaheem Dixon who slotted home the decisive goal in the 53rd minute.

Clarendon College are now the second rural-area school to win the Champions Cup joining Cornwall College who won the title in 2018.

 

Mona High and defending champions St. Catherine High will contest the 2022 Walker Cup final after securing semi-final wins at Stadium East today.

Mona High secured a comfortable 5-0 win over Kingston Technical to advance to the final.

Two long range strikes from Romario Thomas in the 27th and 44th minutes allowed Mona to go into halftime with a 2-0 lead.

In the second half, goals from Robinho Gordon in the 49th, Kenaldo Brown in the 54th, and Damoy Whitfield in the 73rd propelled the St. Andrew-based school to the final.

St. Catherine High beat Excelsior High 2-1 in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw to progress to the final.

Javauney Simms gave Excelsior the lead in the 36th minute but St. Catherine equalized in the 46th minute through a brilliant strike from Nickyle Ellis.

The two teams then endured a ridiculous penalty shootout, which saw them miss their first six combined penalties before St. Catherine held their nerve and scored their last two to advance.

Mona will be looking for their first Walker Cup title, while St. Catherine will be looking to become back-to-back winners of the knockout competition.

 

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