3 weeks ago
15
DEFENDING CHAMPIONS of the ISSA Champions Cup, Glenmuir, produced a magnificent come-from-behind victory over Ocho Rios, reeling off five unanswered goals, at the National Stadium, en route to a 5-1 victory yesterday.
Glenmuir waited for a little under two hours to learn that their opponents in Saturday’s final will be 2022 champions Jamaica College, who clipped Hydel 1-0 to book their spot.
Ocho Rios, who were making their debut in the competition, took the lead in the 21st minute through striker Kaneil Brown, whose right-footed shot snuck in at the near post, beating Glenmuir’s custodian Justin Murray.
That only proved to be a wake-up call for the Andrew Peart-coached Glenmuir, who had to wait until the 40th minute for Orel Miller to level.
Two minutes later, teammate Dunsting Cohen doubled the lead, outjumping his marker to score a well-placed header.
Glenmuir did not plan to make the same mistake twice, starting the second half in a furious bid to add to their tally.
Still, they had to wait until the 64th minute for Ronaldo Campbell to bury a header to create some separation.
With Ocho Rios now broken, two more goals came in quick time, talisman Orane Watson getting on the scoresheet in the 69th and Nyron Allen joining him in the 71st.
Peart said that while his side didn’t start badly, there were second-half changes that made a big difference.
“I thought the start wasn’t bad for us. At halftime we decided that we needed fresher players on the wings in order to find more spaces inside. Whichever stage of the game it is, you need the clarity of mind to look at what’s happening and then make a decision you feel will be beneficial towards the team. It’s just another game and a step in our journey,” Peart explained.
Veron Peterkin, head coach of Ocho Rios, said his team made costly errors.
“We made some errors that threw off our game, but we can move forward. This is the first time they’ve made such errors as Glenmuir exploited what they saw, and we didn’t control that,” he believes.
In the day’s other semi-final clash, a 45th-minute strike from Jabari Howell gave JC all they needed to separate themselves from Hydel.
Davion Ferguson, head coach of JC, said while it was a “difficult” game for his team, he was proud of their defensive performance.
“It was a difficult game. We knew that Hydel has quality, and they really pushed us. We wanted that second goal. It never came, but we managed to keep a clean sheet, and that’s important.”
Hydel coach, Devon Anderson, blamed his team’s profligacy in front of goal for the defeat.
“When you fail to score, the other team will score, and you will lose.”
English (US) ·