Waterford Waltz for STGC

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St. Georges College claimed their fifth win in as many games in the Inter Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA)/LIME Manning Cup competition for 2014 when they waltzed past Waterford High 3-0 at Winchester Park on Friday.

The visitors got off to a quick start. Closing down the STGC players quickly, not allowing them time on the ball and disrupting their normal free flowing football. Javaughn Jones who was playing the defensive midfield role for Waterford was also providing good support for the striking pair of Shane Watson and Leonard Jibbison. Watson was proving a real handful for the “George’s” defense. The tall, powerful striker turning to run at them on a couple of occasions. He forced a corner with one of his runs in the 10th minute but it was easily handled by the home defence.

The “sky blues” started getting into the game and in the 15th minute forced their first corner after the pacey Shevon Stewart led a counterattack. Kyeano Jones should have done better with his header at the back post from the corner kick.

A minute later, the dangerous Amoy Brown collected a pass on the left flank and cut inside a defender before getting off a shot. His effort was well wide of the target. STGC were now begging to ask questions of Waterford who was seeing their influence of the game diminish.

The influence of Davonte Francis in central midfield for STGC was now beginning to tell. The diagonal passes to Alex Marshall and Gregory Messam Jr with pin point accuracy was allowing the home team to pull the Waterford defense apart. The signs were looking ominous for the visitors and in the five minutes leading up to the opener, St. Georges created three chances that they could have put away before Messam finally got it right. The tall winger was found with another brilliant diagonal from Francis and he controlled well on the left flank before ghosting past two defenders and unleashing a thunderbolt beyond a helpless Sherdan McNaughton in the Waterford goal right on the half hour mark.

Two minutes later Cordell Irving had to be alert in the STGC goal as Jones showed that Waterford were not about to give up just yet when he got off a good shot on target.

But the home team were not about to let the visitors back into the game and turned on the style with the likes of Jahmarley Thomas getting into the act, deceiving a defender before firing just wide.

With less than five minutes to go before the break, Watson and Jones almost combined to create an opening for Waterford but Messam who was doing defensive duties cleared the danger. A key moment in the match occurred in the 44th minute when Watson fell to the ground clutching his hamstring after firing off a shot which took a deflection and Iriving had to be alert to grab.

The teams went in with STGC leading 1-0 at the break and on the resumption it was all about the “sky blues”.
Brown who had had a few close shaves in the first half was looking determined to get on the score sheet. He stole in between two defenders in the 52nd minute but his poked effort was just wide of the upright. He kept persisting and in the 63rd minute he was finally rewarded when he was presented with the easiest of chances at the back post after the Waterford defense had gone to sleep.

The Waterford midfield was struggling in the game as they were forced into a tactical switch due to the injury to Watson. Jones was put into the centre forward role to try and push back the STGC defenders but the supply to him was lacking so they rarely threatened the STGC goal.

Alex Marshall who had a fairly quiet first half by his standards, got more into the game in the second and his runs and trickery had the fans buzzing with excitement as they saw their team take total control of the match. The scoring in the game was completed in the 68th minute when an innocuous cross from Stephon Gilzine was fumbled into his own net by McNaughton. The distraught goal keeper had to be consoled by his teammates.

Bertis Bell took the opportunity to give young protégé, Jeremy Verley, a run out and the youngster got off two good shots on target in his cameo.

St. Georges College assistant coach Marcel Gayle was pleased with his team’s performance, “I must congratulate my team on their performance today. When we played Waterford away they came at us so we expected it again today. We got past that 20 minute period then we took control of the game before Messam got his goal. It was a brilliant piece of individual skill. After that we were able to pass the ball around and create our chances. We should have scored more.

“I also want to commend my defence, it is the second clean sheet on the trot and it is good to keep clean sheets,” he concluded.

Waterford coach Jermaine Thomas lamented conceding the first goal, “I think we conceded early and we went low after that, we started backing off and allowing them to play and they got two more goals after that. The third goal was a very soft goal.”

But Thomas is hopeful about the rest of the season, “There are still six more points to be had and if we remained focused and disciplined we can get those six points, the sky is the limit. So we are going after them and see where it takes us,” the optimistic coach said.