File Photo: Jerome Waite coach of Charlie Smith
Goals from Fabrizzio Burton and Lloyd Reynolds earned a point for Holy Trinity High school against a red hot Charlie Smith High in the loan game played in the ISSA/FLOW Manning Cup on Wednesday. Captain Shaquille Notice’s wonder strike and an own goal from Sean-Dean Daley got the goals for Jerome Waite’s men, in a game that produced one of the most dramatics ends of the season and ended the last 100% win streak of the Manning Cup.
This game started slowly with both teams seeming to test each other out as not much action happened in the first ten minutes.
The first actual attack came in the 12th minute when Zamario Sinclair and Omario Fisher worked the ball well down the right wing. Sinclair weaved his way through a sea of Holy Trinity players but his tame effort was calmly dealt with by custodian Antonio Millington.
The game was scrappy in the early stages with loads of inaccurate passes from both teams, not to the liking of a packed Anthony Spaulding Complex.
Holy Trinity worked their first attack in the 17th minute when Lloyd Reynolds skipped by two Charlie Smith players in the middle of the park to slip a delightful pass with the outside of his right foot to Shai Smith but he blasted his effort narrowly pass the upright.
The midfielders of Charlie Smith settled the game and began to knock the ball around nicely stringing passes from side to side hoping to break down a resilient Holy Trinity defense. In the 26th minute Zamario was able to pass the ball through to Kemar James, who opened up his body and pulled the trigger from the top of the box but his shot kissed the upright and came back into play.
Despite Charlie Smith’s dominance Holy Trinity should have scored first. In the 32nd minute the rock solid Alton Lewis played a back pass to goalkeeper Okeino Mendez, who was out of position giving Shai Smith a chance but his effort again, went wide.
Charlie Smith again took control for another long spell and kept knocking at the door of the Holy Trinity goal and it seemed only a matter of time before they scored. However, their poor form in front of goal saw both teams heading to the dressing room locked at 0-0.
Kemar James a live-wire from the first half continued to create havoc in Holy Trinity’s defense. He was clobbered by the two center-backs as he tried to control the ball in the 60th minute, 35 yards from the goal. A well worked free kick saw Fisher roll the ball expertly in the path of Notice, whose thunderbolt left Holy Trinity’s goal keeper bewildered, after he was comprehensively beaten by the strike.
As Holy Trinity pressed forward for the equalizer acres of space was left behind and they should have been punished in the 85th minute when substitute Ronaldo McDonald broke free on a counter ran the full length of the pitch and ended up two on one with Trinity’s defense but he chose the most difficult option and shot, though it brought out an excellent save from the keeper it would have been a tap in for James if he had made the pass.
Three minute from full time, Holy trinity decided to throw the kitchen sink at the hosts and Reynolds and Smith combine superbly at the edge of the box, Smith pulled off a cracker which brought out arguable the best save of the day by Charlie Smith’s custodian Mendez. The resulting corner kick fell to the feet of Smith after a half clearance by Charlie Smith, he then slipped a pass through to Burton for the equalizer.
The spirit of the spectators rose and the tempo of the game was now at boiling point as both teams went for the kill. In the 90th minute Charlie Smith was awarded a free kick close the corner flag. It was whipped in by substitute Jevaughn Knight, the goalkeeper misjudged the flight and defender Sean-Dean Daley slammed the ball in his own net in an effort to clear his area. The stadium erupted and coach Waite was moments away from maintaining his 100% win record in the competition.
However, in time added on the visitors decided to spoil the party when Smith found an unmarked Reynolds who slotted home in an empty net from close range, after a mix up in the Charlie Smith defense.
Moments later the game was brought to a close and the jubilant Holy Trinity supporters charged onto the field to praise their heroes. The draw pushed Trinity to second place above STATHS, while Charlie Smith remain as zone leaders on 16 points.
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