Calabar High got off to the perfect start against St. Georges College in their Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA)/LIME Manning Cup second round game on Wednesday, when they scored after just six minutes, only to be on the end of a 5-1 rout at the end of ninety minutes.
The Bradley Stewart coached boys, stunned their opponents when Kevane Thompson stole in between two defenders to head home at the near post from a corner kick, with just six minutes played.
The St. Georges College team had come out very relaxed but they were stunned into action by their opponents and their response was swift and decisive. STGC leading goal scorer Amoy Brown was played in by his strike partner Shevon Stewart and the tall, powerful forward shrugged off his marker before blasting home the equalizer, only six minutes after his team had conceded.
The confidence was back in the “Light Blues” game and they stroked the ball around the park, trying to create openings. Calabar was trying their best to assist the North Street boys as the kept making mistakes in defence.
As the half wore on the boys from Red Hills Road clawed their way back into the game and made trouble for the STGC defence when Omar Walcott skipped over the ball allowing teammate Mario Sailsman a strike on goal. The shot went agonizingly wide of the post. Two minutes later a fiercely driven free kick from Lenworth Rockford from about twenty five yards was also inches from the post, as Calabar kept up the pressure.
Calabar kept pushing and Brandon Webster deliver a nicely flighted cross which was plucked out of the air by a fully extended Cardell Irving in the STGC goal in the 31st minute.
The best chance for the go ahead goal came in the 36th minute when Sailsman showed great strength to hold off the challenge of Kyeano Jones before feeding a pass to Walcott who failed to get his shot off in time as Irving closed the space to deny him a shot on target.
A minute later St. Georges was ahead. The Bertis Bell coached team was awarded a free kick on the edge of the area and Gregory Messam Jr stepped up to blast the ball into the far corner of the net and put his team 2-1 ahead.
Calabar was still dealing with the shock of going behind when they were put to the sword again, this time by Brown, who got his second of the game. The assist came yet again from Stewart as the Manning Cup’s most prolific partnership added another goal to their tally.
Webster came close again for Calabar, just before the interval, when he curled an effort towards goal that was just wide of the near post.
With a half time lead of 3-1 STGC was closing in on victory. The next goal in the game would certainly be critical to the game’s outcome.
It took a mere three minutes for Calabar to create a chance in the second half. Sailsman’s weak effort was blocked straight back to him by Delano Brooks and the striker’s second effort went high over the bar from inside the area.
STGC put the game out of sight in the 50th minute when a neat give and go between Brown and Stewart saw Stewart’s shot flying in off the inside of the post to make it 4-1.
Jahmarley Thomas came close to extending the lead even further in the 58th minute when he tried to lob the onrushing goalkeeper Jashon Nash but his effort went wide of the goal. Thomas was injured on the play and replaced by Alex Marshall.
Things got even worse for Calabar in the 64th minute when their captain Lenworth Rockford, in trying to clear the danger, put the ball into the back of his own net to make it 5-1.
Marshall, MVP for the Under-17 tournament recently held in Haiti, had an opportunity to add gloss top the score line but his effort from the edge of the area in the 84th minute went inches over the crossbar.
The win moved STGC unto four points, two behind group leaders Wolmer’s and sets up an intriguing final group game next week, where one of the favourites to win the Manning Cup title will be eliminated.
Nevile Bell coach of STGC said, “I thought we played well, I thought we could have scored a couple more. We rebounded well (to going behind) we knew we had to win this one. Had we not won we wouldn’t have a chance to get to the next round, we still have a chance now.”
Calabar head coach Bradley Stewart was honest in his assessment of the game, “We got the early goal and we honestly wanted to protect that advantage but the qualities they had… didn’t allow us to do that. Congrats to Georges they played a significantly better game. I thought we competed fairly well in some departments”.
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