Jamaica All Stars edge Trinidad All Stars 2-1.
By: Sheldon Wood (schoolsoccernet).[/size]
The old football adage “Goals win matches” continues to ring true as the Trinidad SSFL All Star team suffered a 2-1 defeat to their Jamaican Manning Cup counterparts at the St. George’s Ground in Kingston. The Manning Cup All Stars started using a 3-5-2 formation, while Coach Cooper of the Trinidad All Stars opted for a more conservative 5-3-2 formation.
Jamaica settled quickly and got their first item after 55 seconds when Trinidad skipper Robert Primus slipped in the back and gifted the ball to a Jamaican forward who had the simplest of tasks in slotting the ball home past a stranded Kareem Gray.
The goal clearly rattled the Trinidad team who struggled to string consecutive passes together.
Jamaica dominated possession of the ball, but could not carve out any other clear cut opportunities as the defense was well marshaled by Akeem Adams, Robert Primus, Sheldon Bateau and Sherrick Hilaire.
It took the Trinidad team nearly thirty minutes before they really troubled the Jamaica defense, with Neil Mitchell starting to make his presence felt with some deft dribbling. Marcus Joseph forced the Jamaican goalkeeper into a couple good saves as the Trinidad team gradually started to gain ascendency.
The half time whistle would have come as a relief to the Jamaican All Star team as the Trinidad All Stars kept attacking in waves.
Coach Cooper switched to a 4-4-2 formation in the second half as Trinidad went in search of the equalizing goal.
Jamaica seemed to show early signs of fatigue, as the SSFL all stars continued to take control of the match. Marcus Joseph and Mitchell seemed to combine well, but found the Jamaican defense and goalkeeper equal to the task.
In the 74th minute, against the run of play Jamaica doubled their lead. Yet another lapse in defensive concentration saw a Trinidad corner cleared up field to the lone Jamaican striker. Akeem Adams in the Trinidad backline should not have let the ball drop, but in doing so allowed the nippy Jamaican forward Jamal Spence outmuscle him and hit the ball off the far post past an outstretched Kareem Gray.
Credit must be given to the Trinidad players who never let their heads drop. Mitchell and Joseph continued to squander chances and frustration began to set in.
Just when it seemed as though the Trinidad All Stars would not get a goal, Marcus Joseph got the breakthrough in the 82nd minute when his speculative long ranged effort beat the Jamaican goalkeeper all ends up. Trinidad continued to press in search of the equalizer, but the physically stronger Jamaican unit did not cave in.
The game ended with the Jamaican Manning Cup All Star team winning by a 2-1 scoreline.
Coach Cooper who celebrated his birthday today was understandably disappointed, yet happy with the performance of the Trinidad team from the latter part of the first half onwards.
“We were unfortunate to not come away with something today. We had several opportunities and scored one. Jamaica had two half chances and converted them both. Overall I am not too disheartened by the result, because the boys got it together and put up a good show. We will definitely look for a more positive result on Wednesday.”
When asked about changes to the starting lineup for the return leg, Coach Cooper had this to say, “It will depend on the injuries. Isiah (Smith), Jamal Spencer and Neil Mitchell seemed to have felt the brunt of the physical Jamaican team. So it will depend on if they are match fit on Wednesday.”
T&T SSFL All Stars - Kareem Gray, Robert Primus (capt), Jerome Williams, Isiah Smith, Sherrick Hilaire, Sheldon Bateau, Akeem Adams, Marcus Joseph, Elijah Manners, Jamal Spencer, Neil Mitchell.
All Manning edge T&T 2-1 in tour opener.
By: Kayon Raynor (Observer)Advantage Jamaica! Jamaica remain on course to secure their fourth straight lien on the Friendship Football Cup tomorrow, after the All Manning Cup team defeated the Trinidad and Tobago All-Schools team 2-1 in the first of two legs at Winchester Park yesterday.
Playing in green jersey and white shorts, Andre Clennon and Jamal Spence scored on either side of the interval to give the home team victory in a lacklustre affair with the red and white-clad T&T team. The Observer understands that the match was switched from Jamaica College on the request of the visitors, who complained that the surface was below standard.
Clennon netted the opening goal with just 36 seconds on the clock by slamming his right-footed effort to the far post away from custodian Kareem Gray, after he was gifted the ball following a defensive error.
Marcus Joseph came closest to levelling the score in the first period, but his cracking shot from 20 yards was acrobatically tipped over the crossbar by Oliver Walker.
Introduced into the match at the start of the second half, Spence repaid the decision in the 75th minute when he headed into an empty goal after Romane Palmer found him with an inch perfect pass from the centre of the park.
The hard-working Joseph scored his team's consolation goal in the 83rd minute by rifling home his right-footed effort from 30 yards to beat Walker.
Joseph gained possession after the All Manning Cup captain Robert Palmer lost it while dribbling mid-way his own half.
Anthony Patrick of the All Manning coaching staff conceded that the home team did not play up to scratch for the duration of the contest.
"The changes that we made in the second half kind of brought back the opponents in the game (but) never the less we came out on top," Patrick said.
The T&T All-Schools team will now turn their attention to tomorrow's clash against the All DaCosta Cup team at Jamalco. However, the visiting coach Shaun Cooper is not amused that his players will be playing against a new set of players.
"So the next team will be coming fresh and we will be going in with a couple of knocks (injuries), so we will be going in the match at a disadvantage where the conditioning is concerned," Cooper told the Observer. "We will have to go flat out from the start of the game and hope that we get a goal in the first 15 minutes to level the score and go for broke from there," he added.
Head coach of the All DaCosta team, Jeffery Hewitt, who watched yesterday's encounter, said he will not be taking the visitors lightly as they seem to be a tactically sound unit.
"They move the ball around well and especially from midfield they get players into the attack and tend to shoot at goal from distance, so we'll have to find a way to stop them from doing that," Hewitt reasoned.
A few scouts, including one from South Carolina, were on hand to witness yesterday's contest and they will be at tomorrow game as well. Jamaica have won the trophy on all three occasions since inception of the competition in 2003.
All Manning's striker, Andre Clennon (right), scorer of the opening goal, attempts to take possession of a loose ball after Elijah Manners of Trinidad and Tobago's All-schools team goes down under a challenge during yesterday's first leg of the Friendship Cup at St George's College. Midfielder Ramone Palmer, who made the final pass for the second goal, looks on. (Photo: Bryan Cummings)
Bridgeport's Adrian King (right), representing the all-Manning Cup side, challenges a player from the Trinidad select high scool team during their friendly match at St. George's College yesterday. The all-Manning side won 2-1 - Junior Dowie / Staff Photographer.
