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.
Last year’s beaten finalists St Andrew Technical High School (STATHS) and Kingston College secured an advantage over Kingston Technical and Campion College, as they registered contrasting victories in their respective first leg second round ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup fixtures at Jamaica College on Saturday.
STATHS with a clinical second half display, blanked Kingston Technical 4-0, courtesy of a brace from Richard Livingston (58th and 81st), with Leon Brown (58th) and Alexavier Gooden (88th), getting the others.
Kingston College had things much more difficult and had to come from behind to edge Campion College 3-2 in the feature contest of the double-header.
Tyler Falconer (21st) and Djas Less (25th) gave Campion a handy lead, but Demario Dailey (59th), O’Neil Bryan (83rd) and Robert Seow (90+3), responded for Kingston College.
After playing out a goalless first half in the curtain raiser, STATHS came to life on the resumption and found the go-ahead goal 13 minutes in when Livingston converted from the 12-yard spot, after Brown was felled by goalkeeper Jahiem Orr.
The Bumper Hall-based school continued to press and doubled the lead through Brown, who was on hand to slam home a loose ball from close range, his 14th goal of the season.
With Kingston Technical offering very little resistance, particularly in the latter stages, scoring got easier for STATHS and Livingston helped himself to another, as he skipped a defender and drove home a right-footed effort from just inside the 18-yard box.
Gooden then capped the win with a fine header that gave Orr no chance at a save.
The second contest between Campion College and Kingston College, was expected to be more competitive and lived up to its billing.
Campion took the lead against the run of play when a poor clearance by goalkeeper Malique Williams, went straight to Falconer, who made no mistakes.
Another poor attempt by Williams to gather the ball, allowed Less to tap the ball in at the far post, almost hurting himself in the process when he slammed into the upright.
Though down, Kingston College was not out, and they again found some momentum in the latter stages of the first half, and they maintained it after the break.
The North Street-based team made it count a minute to the hour mark through Dailey, who finished off an Otaivian Halloway pass with aplomb.
With that goal literally knocking the wind from Campion College’s sails, Kingston College went for broke, and Bryan put them back on level terms with a tidy finish from deep inside the 18-yard box.
Seow completed the comeback befitting of their motto “the brave may fall, but never yield,” with an easy tap in at the far post.
Winning coach Vassell Reynolds praised his team for the win.
“It was a tough one, we gave up two soft goals but it’s a part of the game. We asked the guys at half-time to dig in and in the end, fitness spoke, and we got three goals. It is a young and experience team, but we have asked them from the start of the season to always fight in a way that is of a Kingston College spirit, and they did that, so I am very proud of them,” Reynolds said in a post-game interview.
His counterpart Ashton Blankson also lauded his team but felt they were undone by a lack of fitness.
“I thought they got a little tired and the heads dropped, but we fought all the way to the end. We want to go back to playing our game which is the passing game, and we will see what happens (in the second leg) on Wednesday,” Blankson noted.
Saturday’s results
St Catherine 2, Wolmer’s Boys 0
Excelsior 0, Hydel 0
Jamaica College 3, Eltham 0
Mona 3, Jonathan Grant 0
Kingston College 3, Campion College 2
STATHS 4, Kingston Technical 0
St George’s College 2, St Jago 0
Haile Selassie 0, Tivoli High 0
Despite conceding for the first time this season, last year's beaten finalist St Andrew Technical High School (STATHS) extended their unbeaten run in the ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup with a 4-1 beating of Excelsior High in a Group D top-of-the-table clash at Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex on Saturday.
A brace from Leon Brown (2nd, 68th) and one each from Kalonji Watson (47th) and Andre Salmon (70th), made the points safe for the Bumper Hall-based team. Jkivann Salmon (75th) got Excelsior's consolation.
With the win, STATHS are now sole leaders of the group on 15 points, three ahead of Excelsior, who were suffering their first defeat of the season.
Winning coach Phillip Williams expressed pleasure with his team's progress so far.
"I am very happy today was a good test for my team, I think the Excelsior team is a good team and we embrace these types of games, and the boys showed their quality today. This is a more mature team, so we keep doing what we have been doing and it's paying off. We have another shot to win the title this year and we will give it our best try," he said in a post-match interview.
It was a frantic start by STATHS, as Brown picked up a loose ball and worked his way around two defenders before unleashing a stinging left-footer from the top of the 18-yard box that gave Jadavin Waul, in goal for Excelsior, no chance at a save.
Though STATHS bossed possession from there and had a few chances from which they could have converted, Excelsior were not without hope and did play their game but found the Bumper Hall team's defence in defiant mode.
As the score went unchanged at the break, STATHS, like they did at the start, came out spiritedly on the resumption and doubled the lead two minutes in when Watson fired home from the top of the 18-yard box, beating Waul all ends up.
They continued to apply consistent pressure and pushed even further ahead courtesy of Brown, who applied an easy finish from close range to a Dwayne Atkinson pass, moving his tally to 10 goals this season.
And before Excelsior could catch their breaths Salmon delivered another punch when he fired home while under pressure from two defenders.
However, the Mountain View Avenue-based team gave their fans something to celebrate, as Jkivann Salmon finished off a well-worked build up with a sweet right-footed strike from deep inside the 18-yard box, beating STATHS's custodian Jaheem Williams, at his near post.
Excelsior's Head coach Keon Broderick took heart from his team's performance to an extent.
"The goal we scored is evident that we have quality in the team. But credit must be given to STATHS the way they transitioned and came at us really quickly. I also thought we could have done much better defensively, but as we move on into the latter stages I think we will be much better," Broderick said.
Meanwhile, defending Walker Cup champions Tivoli High were among other winners on the day, as they moved to the top of group B thanks to a dominant 7-0 win over Cumberland. The win saw Tivoli up to 10 points from four games, one point more than defending champions Jamaica College.
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