Jonathan Grant hangs on against Calabar to make Manning Cup semis

Photo: Leroy Hunter (kneeling) raises his hands to the heavens after his school Jonathan Grant secured a point against Calabar High to finish Group K on seven points and advance to the semi-finals for the first time since 2001. Looking on is his teammate Michael Beckford.

Jonathan Grant High school hung on for dear life, for twelve minutes of regulation time and five minutes of added time to secure a 2-2 draw with Calabar High school and subsequently advanced to the semi-finals of the ISSA/FLOW Manning Cup competition for the first time since in 2001.

Goals from Anelka Grandison and Damion Kaye had given the Spanish Town based school a comfortable 2-0 half time lead, but Calabar came roaring back in the second half through Shane Reid and Mikel Graham. It set up a grand stand finish that had the Jonathan Grant fans begging for the final whistle, in a dramatic game of football at the Spanish Town Prison Oval on Tuesday.

A carnival-like atmosphere, with horns blaring and drums beating preceded the start of the contest, as the blue and yellow clad Jonathan Grant fans filled the stadium to capacity before a ball had been kicked in anger. The equation was simple. Secure a point and return to the semifinals after a 14 year drought. The fans were confident, singing at the top of their voices…”J-G A BIG SIDE”.

The tension on the players was obvious, extended prayers on hands and knees in the middle of the field by some, before the first whistle, told of just how important the game was to them.

Misplaced passes marked the opening minutes as both teams tried desperately to settle into a rhythm and gain control of the game. Jonathan Grant soon took control of proceedings and pushed Calabar back into their own half.

The home fans were celebrating after just 15 minutes when Grandison rose majestically at the back post to head home directly from a corner kick and that turned up the decibel levels in the stands. Ecstatic fans began to dream the dream. Two minutes later Grandison hit the post, coming within millimeters of putting his team into a 2 nil ahead.

The fans were in a state of delirium in the 21^st minute when a fairly innocuous shot from Kaye, crept inside the far post to make it 2-0. Suddenly, the semi-final dream was fast becoming a reality.

Confidence was high in the team and when Shaquille Smith shrugged off his marker, before driving towards the box and firing a thunderous shot towards goal, it seemed like it would be 3-0, but the shot cannoned off the upright and back into play. The crowd roared in excitement as their boys dominated a school more famous for track and field than football.

Two nil at the break and cruising, it seemed the home team would ease through the second half on their way to the semis.

But Calabar had other plans and stunned the home fans into almost perfect silence when Reid pulled one back. Unmarked inside the box, he took advantage of the space to set himself and fire home from 12 yards. Game on and with more than a third of the match to play, the cats had been set among the pigeons.

The tactical discipline that they had displayed in the first half was gone from Jonathan Grant, the midfield was taken over by Calabar and it was now a more even game. Devaughn Gordon should have pulled the game level for the team from Red Hills Road when he was all alone, dead centre in front of goal, but he skewed his effort horribly wide.

Another chance fell to Gordon but his goal bound effort was deflected behind for a corner as the boys in green and black piled on the pressure.

Then in the 78^th minute, Graham, who was left unmarked at the back post, rifled home from just inside the box to make it 2-2. A pin could be heard hitting the floor when the ball hit the back of the net.

Smelling blood, Calabar went in for the kill and almost turned the Jonathan Grant dream into a total nightmare in the 90^th minute. A curling free kick from Scott Moody was inches away from the desperate lunge of Graham, virtually on the goal line at the back post.

But the Oniel Thomas coached boys, safely navigated the five minutes of added time, to secure the point to take them to seven overall and set up a date with the winners of the group now being led by St. Georges College.

In the other game in the group, Charlie Smith beat Excelsior 4-0 to finish on 6 points, one behind Jonathan Grant.