Photo: Lennon High captain Fitzroy Cummings rises high above Pagiel Brown to head clear inside a crowded penalty box during the ISSA/FLOW Ben Francis Cup semifinal on Tuesday. Cummings scored in the 62nd minute as his tesm ran out 1-0 winners and advanced to the final on Friday where theywill meet defending champions STETHS.
Lennon High created history on Tuesday when they upset heavy favourites Cornwall College 1-0 courtesy of a 62nd minute strike from their captain Fitzroy Cummings, to qualify for the final of the ISSA/FLOW Ben Francis Knock Out competition for the first time in the history of the school.
The two teams met at the St. Elizabeth Technical High School Sports Complex to determine who would face STETHS in the final on Friday, after the defending champions had overcome a stubborn Clarendon College in a penalty shootout the day before, in their semi-final.
Lennon started the more aggressive of the two and should have been ahead with less than two minutes on the clock when a tame effort from Kwesi Watts rebounded from the body of Cornwall goalkeeper Jamario Hines, back to Watts but his follow up shot was blocked into the path of Odane Grant who also fluffed his lines from close range.
Lennon kept running at a jaded looking Cornwall team whose midfield was failing to live up to expectations. As it happened in the Super Cup final last Saturday, it was left up to Jourdaine Fletcher to take on the bulk of the attacking work for the St. James based team.
Another gaffe from Hines let in Ryan Morrison who had the miss of the afternoon when he kicked wide of the target from two yards, this after Hines had failed to make a routine catch from a long free kick by Ray Campbell.
Soon after, Cachje Jackson played a beautiful ball down the left flank for the pacey Watts to chase but the forward’s shot went across the face of goal and just wide of the far post as the underdogs kept up the pressure.
Tavis Grant was having the freedom of the park in midfield as Peter Lee Vassell and his teammates failed to get close to him. His insightful passing led to many of the Lennon attacks, most of which came from down the left side, as they seemed the team more likely to score.
Emmanuel Campbell was subbed off in the first half for Cornwall College with a suspected dead leg and with him went a lot of their attacking threat.
Pierce Nweke seemed the most likely outlet for Cornwall down their left flank, but he was well marshalled by a tight Lennon defence led by captain, Cummings.
The best chance for Cornwall in the first half came on the stroke of half time when Shawn McDonald started an attack and combined well with Fletcher whose inch perfect return pass set him up nicely, but the midfielder fired high from close range.
Fletcher almost helped Cornwall to a dream start to the second half two minutes after the break, when he directed a left sided free kick to the back post but Pagiel Brown was unable to redirect his effort on target as the ball came off his thigh and went wide of the goal.
Lennon shrugged off that defensive lapse and took control of the game once more, as the usual Cornwall second half burst failed to materialize.
Watts who had played down the left for most of the first half for Lennon was switched to the right flank in the second half and he skilful won a penalty for his team when he baited a challenge from Campbell inside the Cornwall box.
Cummings took the spot kick from 12 yards but his effort was saved by Hines who did well diving to his left. The Lennon captain responded quickest of all and was able to fire home his own rebound to give his team a precious lead, despite Hines’s best efforts.
Brown had a glorious opportunity to draw things level when he was picked out by a curling Fletcher corner but his header went down into the ground and over the bar as he appeared to be hit by the ball more than him making proper contact with it.
Tyrone Mullings who had seen little action in goal for most of the game then came up trumps for Lennon, pulling off two brilliant saves in the space of a minute.
Substitute Dwayne Harding delivered a fine cross from the left side for another substitute, Garnett Hudson, who watched in amazement as Mullings pulled of an acrobatic save to keep his team ahead.
The resultant corner was curled in viciously by Fletcher but Mullings reacted quickly, getting to his near post and tipping the ball over the crossbar to deny a certain goal.
With the minutes ticking away Cornwall threw everything including the kitchen sink at their opponents, bombing in long balls into the box repeatedly, but the Lennon defence stood firm.
A long range effort from McDonald was goal bound, but seen all the way by Mullings, who moved smartly to his left to effect the save.
The last chance of the game fell to Harding in the 89th minute, but he blasted high from just inside the box, as the hopes of a place in the final for Cornwall College faded away.
The Lennon team saw out three nervy minutes of added time before celebrating making the final.
A joyous Merron Gordon said his team got the tactics spot on, on the day. “We knew that as long as we got it tactically right we could beat them. I told the team that if we allowed Peter Lee Vassell and (Jourdaine) Fletcher to play they would hurt us, they didn’t play and we won.
“I am very proud of my team, Jevauhe Mendez marked Fletcher right through the game. Fletcher couldn’t spark today and I think that is what made the difference.
“At this point in time I think the travelling…is taking a toll on the body,” admitted Cornwall College coach, Dr. Dean Weatherly. “Some type of tiredness, fatigue, played against us today.”
“Peter Lee Vassell is injured, we just wanted to see how much we could get out of him today and he did his time,” Weatherly said of his star midfielder.
“We need to recover for the DaCosta Cup semi-finals (against Clarendon College), it is our last hoorah so there is no ifs and or buts about that,” said the forthright veteran coach.
Lennon will face STETHS for the second time this season, having lost the earlier encounter, but will be harbouring thoughts of creating yet another upset, this time at Manchester High school gorunds.
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