St. Georges College (STGC) made light work of Hydel as they easily got by them 4-0 to advance to the ISSA/LIME Walker Cup semifinals yesterday at the Constant Spring Mini-Stadium.
St. Georges College (STGC) made light work of Hydel as they easily got by them 4-0 to advance to the ISSA/LIME Walker Cup semifinals yesterday at the Constant Spring Mini-Stadium.
The game was expected to be a close encounter, but like last year’s Manning Cup final, Hydel failed to rise to the challenge. After getting the better of the early exchanges and spurning the few half chances they created, Hydel expectedly would live to rue their early misses as the Neville Bell coached boys were clinical at the other end.
Captain Ryan Miller opened the scoring in the 14th minute for the ‘Light Blues’ and the score was doubled on the stroke of half time courtesy of an own goal by Kurt Thomas.
STGC were brutal at the restart, killing off the game before Hydel could stage any sort of comeback when Amoy Brown struck just four minutes after the second half whistle.
Second half substitute, Cardell Benbow, completed the rout on minute 77 with a wonder strike from just on the edge of the area. Brown who had scored the third goal of the game turned provider when he delivered an inch perfect pass to Bewbow who exquisitely controlled with his instep before hitting it on the volley past an outstretched Hydel keeper who could not handle the pace on the shot.
The win puts STGC in the semifinals against Excelsior who upstaged the more fancied Jamaica College in the day’s second game.
JC had entered the encounter with a perfect win record to date in the school boy football season and were undoubtedly overwhelming favourites with their legion of fans expecting another comfortable win.
What they did not prepare for was the tactical nous of long time Excelsior coach and one of the nation’s best youth football coaches, Leebert Halliman.
Halliman put the disciplined and dedicated Hisrock Francis on JC danger man and captain Junior Flemming and the Jamaican International could find no space to weave his magic. The JC striker did have one point blank effort fantastically saved from four yards out by the Excelsior custodian. That opportunity came after Excelsior had taken the lead following a mix up between JC keeper Dowdie and a defender that allowed first half substitute Romani Monas to steal in and prod home two minutes before the break.
The second goal for Excelsior was a gaffe by Dowdie who allowed a gently floating ball to slip through his grasp and bounce over the goal line. So while Excelsior took their chances JC allowed theirs to slip through their grasp as their perfect season hit a bump in the road at the worst possible time.
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