Defending champions Harbour View and Cavalier booked their spots in the semi-finals of the Claro Kingston and St Andrew Football Association (KSAFA) Champions’ Cup, following contrasting results in their Zone B matches at Collie Smith Drive yesterday.
In the feature match of the double-header, Harbour View, who are seeking their second consecutive hold on the trophy, recorded a hard-fought 1-0 victory over the hosts, Boys’ Town. In the opening match, Cavalier were held 1-1 by Greenwich Town.
Harbour View finished the zone atop the standings with six points, ahead of Cavalier (five) followed by Boys’ Town four and Greenwich (0).
New signing Damion Harwood scored the lone goal for the Donovan Hayles-coached Harbour View, when he headed home a corner-kick in the 84th minute past goalkeeper Kirk Port.
Hayles said he was very impressed with the performance of Hardwood, who has scored two goals in the competition so far.
“He did it on Saturday, and he came back and he did today and that is important because that is what we brought him in to do, and so far he has got two in two games and I am happy for that,” said Hayles.
“We are now in the semi-finals and we hope to just continue to work hard on improving our overall game, as we head into the Premier League,” Hayles added.
Meanwhile, in the opening game, Cavalier took the lead in the 42nd minute courtesy of an own goal. However, David Stultz found the equaliser for Greenwich when he netted in the 74th minute. Boys’ Town and Cavalier join Waterhouse and Arnett Gardens in the semi-finals which will be played on Thursday.
H’VIEW CONQUER ‘REDS’ IN CHAMPIONS CUP
Howard Walker
DEFENDING champion Harbour View scored a dramatic 1-0 win over Boys’ Town and joined Cavalier in the semi-final of the Claro Kingston and St Andrew Football Association (KSAFA) Champions Cup yesterday.
Harbour View were minutes away from being eliminated, but new signee Damion Harwood, formerly of St George’s SC, popped up in the 86th minute to head home an Andrew Phang corner.
Harbour View finished on top in Zone B with six points, just ahead of Cavalier on five, with Boys’ Town’s Red Brigade third on four points. Greenwich Town finished bottom with one point.
On Thursday at a venue to be announced, Harbour View will play Arnett Gardens and Waterhouse will tackle Cavalier in semi-final action.
In the curtain-raiser at Collie Smith Drive, Super League champion Cavalier were surprisingly held to a 1-1 draw by Major League champion Greenwich Town.
Cavalier took the lead courtesy of an own goal in the 42nd minute but David Stultz earned a point for Greenwich Town in the 76th minute.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
RED BRIGADES AHEAD — DESPITE 1-1 DRAW IN CLARO CUP
BY HOWARD WALKER Observer staff reporter
BOYS’ Town maintained top spot in Zone B of the Claro Kingston and St Andrew Football Association (KSAFA) Champions Cup with a 1-1 draw with Cavalier at the Harbour View Mini-Stadium yesterday.
Both teams are on four points from two games, but Boys’ Town have a superior goal difference of plus nine compared to Cavalier’s plus three.
Richard Clarke of Boys’ Town (left) makes a clearance ahead of Cavalier’s Leslie Keyon during their Claro KSAFA Champions Cup match at the Harbour View Mini-Stadium yesterday. The game ended 1-1. (Photo: Karl McLarty)
Meanwhile, Harbour View rebounded from their 4-1 defeat to Cavalier in their opening fixture to beat Greenwich Town, 3-2.
The home team opened the scoring through Faban Taylor after 11 minutes and Damion Harwood added a second 10 minutes after the break.
Greenwich Town pulled a goal back through Ricardo Munroe a minute later, but Harbour View restored their two-goal cushion when Richard Edwards netted from the spot in the 81st minute.
Monroe made it a tense final three minutes for the hosts when he netted his second of the evening in the 87th, but Harbour View held on for the win.
Both teams saw red as Harbour View’s Jermaine Hue was ejected four minutes from the break, while Greenwich’s Joseph Archer was ejected on the bench after he was substituted.
Cavalier, who whipped Harbour View 4-1 on Wednesday, looked every bit a Premier League team and took the lead against Boys’ Town courtesy of a 70th-minute header from substitute Damion Jackson, who rose unchallenged to meet a Geovannie Samuda left-sided cross.
Boys’ Town pulled level two minutes later in the 72nd minute after defender Daemion Benjamin nodded home from close range for a share of the points.
Although the Claro Champions Cup is viewed as a pre-season tournament, both teams fielded strong teams as they tried to secure a spot into the semi-final round.
Boys’ Town, the Premier League runners-up, started with Carlloyd Walters in goal, with a backline of Carlos Wright, Daemion Benjamin, Asrick Samuels and Anthony Dawes.
Michael Campbell, Renae Lloyd, Richard Clarke and Fabian Francis in the midfield with Jermaine Allen and Jevannie Mitchell up front.
Former national player Oneil “Bigga” Thompson, looking overweight and more like a sumo wrestler, was left on the bench, along with Dean Thompson.
Cavalier, the two-time defending Super league champions, started with the safe hands of Everdean Scarlett in goal. with captain Michael Stone, Mario McDonald, Geovannie Samuda and Richard Williams in defence.
Midfield general Dillon Wilson, Shawn Thompson, Kirk Fletcher and Leslie Keyon marshalled the middle with Fabian Nethersole and Nigel Reid up front.
Cavalier, fresh from their demolition of Harbour View in midweek, were quick into their strides and Keyon got a wonderful chance to open the scoring in the seventh minute but volleyed high after Fletcher picked him out with a long ball.
Campbell immediately responded for the Red Brigade with a testing long-range effort which sailed inches over the crossbar in the 10th minute.
The prolific Nethersole, who scored twice against Harbour View in midweek, saw his low shot well blocked by goalkeeper Walters in the 24th minute after a long searching ball was misjudged by usually assured Asrick Samuels.
Minutes later, Samuels was to make amends and his beautifully-weighted cross was headed onto the crossbar by Mitchell with goalkeeper Scarlett well beaten.
The half ended 0-0 and it was still anybody’s game as Cavalier, who play a division lower than their opponents, were holding their own.
Thompson got a glorious chance to give Cavalier the lead in the 68th minute, but the former Rae Town player chipped over the advancing goalkeeper.
Two minutes later, they would eventually break the deadlock as substitute Jackson nodded home, giving Cavalier a deserved 770th-minute lead.
But that lead would not last long as Boys’ Town equalised in the 72nd minute, also from a header, as Benjamin found the target from close range following a melee.
The competition continues today at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex with Waterhouse playing Tivoli Gardens at 4:00 pm and Arnett Gardens tackling Meadforest at 6:00.
Waterhouse lead Zone A with four points, ahead of Arnett Gardens and Tivoli Gardens, on two points each. Meadforest are at the bottom with one point but could still advance with a win.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
CAVALIER STUN H’VIEW 4-1 IN CLARO CUP
… Tivoli, Arnett in today’s big clash
By Howard Walker Observer staff reporter
CAVALIER turned in an impressive performance by clobbering Harbour View, 4-1, in their Zone B Claro Kingston and St Andrew Football Association (KSAFA) Champions Cup at Collie Smith Drive yesterday.
The prolific Fabian Nethersole netted twice for the Super League champion in the 54th and 68th minutes following earlier goals from Leslie Keyon in the sixth and Nigel Reid in the 49th minute.
Former National striker Fabian Taylor scored for defending champions Harbour View in the 65th minute with a stunning 25-metre strike.
Cavalier moved to the top of Zone B with three points, but could be overtaken by Boys’ Town who were at press time playing Major League champions Greenwich Town.
Cavalier’s coach David Laylor said it is always good to start on a winning note.
“At this point, I can tell you it is a good game beating Harbour View… we’re off to an early start,” said Laylor.
“If we can get the players to maintain the focus we will always get a good result.”
Harbour View, who won this tournament last year, started a fairly strong team in captain Jermaine Hue, Fabian Taylor, John-Ross Edwards, Rafeik Thomas, Kimorlee Brisset, Lennox Creary, Fabian Campbell, Lamar Hodges, and Robert Williams.
But it was Cavalier who play in a lower division that looked the more purposeful and duly took the lead courtesy of a header from Leslie Keyon after goalkeeper Ashic Taylor spilled a cross.
Cavalier, boosted by their early lead, continued to match their more established opponents and in fact, raced to a 3-0 lead after 55 minutes.
Reid collected a ball just outside the box and fired past the diving Taylor in goal, making it 2-0 in the 49th minute, before Nethersole curled a beautiful free-kick over Taylor five minute later.
Former national striker Fabian Taylor then reduced the deficit for the stunned Harbour View in the 65th with a powerful shot from 25 metres, similar to the one he scored against Boys’ Town last season on the same ground.
But Nethersole grabbed his second and Cavalier’s fourth with a cool right-footed finish in the 68th and sealed an impressive victory for Cavalier.
The eight-team competition continues today with Meadforest playing Waterhouse in the curtain-raiser at the Edward Seaga Stadium at 3:00 pm before home team Tivoli Gardens and Arnett Gardens clash in the feature encounter at 5:00 pm.
All four teams in Zone A are on one point following draws on Tuesday.
Meadforest were held to a 1-1 draw by Tivoli Gardens, while Arnett Gardens rallied from two goals down to earn a 2-2 tie with Waterhouse.