Photo: Brad Tulley (centre) and his teammates celebrate what they thought was the game winner against Calabar High in the ISSA/FLOW Manning Cup on Monday. Tulley scored in the 88th minute to give his team a 2-1 lead, but an own goal in the fourth minute of stoppage time gifted Calabar a point.
A flurry of late goals in the final fifteen minutes of the ISSA/FLOW Manning Cup match between Calabar High and Hydel High saw the visitors denied a crucial win on Monday as teams jostle for positions in the second round of the competition.
Tray McKay had given the visitors the lead as early as the third minute and with both teams doing their best to miss the easiest of chances there on in, it seemed as though the early goal would have been enough to seal the contest.
But Calabar refused to give up and equalized through Orane Ferguson who scored with a diving header from almost on the goal line, after Hydel goalkeeper Gawain Small dropped the ball in the 73rd minute.
Two minutes from time Brad Tulley thought he had grabbed all three points for the visitors when he steered home from inside the box to make it 2-1. Kevin Wright had produced a great solo effort down the left flank, shrugging off the challenge of Herbert Morrison before driving into the box and pulling the goalkeeper and defenders towards him. Wright then threaded a needle through a mass of green and black legs to pick out the fast arriving Tulley who guided the ball into the back of the net from 14 yards.
But the Hydel players were left heartbroken on the lush Calabar field when a defender missed timed his jump from a long throw and the ball ricocheted off his leg and into the goal in the 4th minute of stoppage time.
The draw leaved Hydel on points and battling for one of the two third place spots that advance to the second round of the competition, while Calabar are left to ponder about next season.
In the other game in the group St. Jago edged Cumberland High 1-0 to remain second in the group.
In other games on Monday, there was also high drama on Mountain View Avenue as a stoppage time goal helped Excelsior High beat Tivoli High 3-2 to remain top of Group A by a single point, being hotly pursued by St. Georges College who edged Greater Portmore 2-1 to remain in contention for first place in the zone. Excelsior High has 19 points while STGC are on 18. These two teams will play the second 45 minutes of their abandoned game on Wednesday to decide the group.
In Goup B runaway leaders and defending champions Jamaica College on 16 points clipped Vauxhall High 2-1 away, but the Windward Road based school still has a chance of finishing second in the group as they play bottom placed Eltham High on Wednesday.
In Group C, Kingston College put on yet another pasting on Norman Manley High, beating them 4-0 at the Maxfield Park field. Their leading goal scorer Rashawn Mackison was on the scoresheet yet again, as he finished the first round with 19 goals while the famed Purples has so far tallied 53 goals for the season. Denham Town who have already secured second spot in the group clipped Papine High 1-0 to remain in contention for a spot in the coveted Super Cup competition. The other game in the group ended 2-2 between out of contention Ascot High and St. Mary’s College.
In Group D, Jonathan Grant clobbered Pembroke Hall 5-0 but still remains second as group winners Haile Selassie clipped St. Catherine 1-0.
Wolmers’ Boys finished the first round as the only team with a perfect win record, when they beat Kingston Technical 2-0 while second place Camperdown edged Dunoon 2-1 in Group F action. The other game in the group saw Jose Marti beat Edith Dalton James 4-2.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login