Photo: A pure strike from Paul Stewart in the 75th minute was enough to seal all three points for Marverley/Hughenden FC in the JB Rums Premier League playoff on Wednesday against Granville FC.
Jamalco FC created history on Wednesday when they qualified for the Premier League for the very first time in the club’s history with two games to spare, following a 1-0 win over Brazil FC in the JB Rums RSPL Playoffs at the Wembley Centre of Excellence. Meanwhile Marverley/Hughenden FC inched closer to qualification with a similar 1-0 win over eliminated Granville FC at the Marverley Complex.
A 10th minute strike from Andrew Isaacs was enough to give the Clarendon based team all three points and secure passage to the RSPL. Jamalco have won all four games so far in the playoffs, for an unassailable 12 points and will now join Humble Lion FC as representatives from the parish of Clarendon in the nation’s top flight football competition. The loss for Brazil FC now means that they must win their remaining two games to guarantee the other available promotion spot.
While Jamalco had gotten the job done early in their qualifier, a nervous looking Marverley team struggled to make use of home advantage in a poor first half display. Having secured a single point from their previous two home games, the KSAFA representatives struggled to put their passes together against a stout Granville team that was fighting for their lives.
A marginally better second half saw the home team slowly take control of the contest but it was the introduction of Paul Stewart in the 75th minute that swung the game in favour of Marverley. Barely a minute after entering the fray, Stewart latched on to a long ball and fired a beautiful volley into the back of the net to the delight of the home fans.
“The practice that we have been doing during the week is finishing, because coach says we have been dominating games but we are not scoring. I love that I came off the bench and gave the team the victory,” said an elated Stewart.
With a potential decider against Brazil FC coming up on Sunday, Stewart said, “We are going to recover, get the team mentally focused and come Sunday we are going to do the same thing, play our passing game, Brazilian style and try find the net again with a more convincing win, two or three goals,” he assured.
The win moves Marverley up to seven points, three more than Brazil FC, who they play on Sunday at Drax Hall. A win for Marverley on Sunday means automatic qualification to the RSPL, a win for Brazil will bring them level on points with all to play for in the final set of games, while a draw will leave the door open for both teams.
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