Hydel leaves it late

THE DEVON Anderson-coached Hydel left it until the 88th minute to book their spot in the semi-final of the ISSA Manning Cup with a nerve-wracking 1-1 draw with Campion College at Prison Oval yesterday.

Despite only needing a point to seal their spot, Hydel started positively with D’sean Henry coming close to registering the opener as early as the fourth minute. However, that effort was thwarted by a magnificent one-handed save from Campion College custodian Alex James.

Henry was again in business by the 36th minute but lifted his shot over the bar. While Campion College looked composed on the ball, they lacked the decisive pass that would unlock the Hydel defence.

With their Manning Cup season on the line, Campion upped the ante in the second half but were denied by Hydel’s organisation.

Even with Campion’s more ambitious bent, it was still Hydel who created the best chance to release the deadlock. In the 62nd minute, a glorious opportunity was presented to Henry, courtesy of a sumptuous pass from captain Ronaldo Barrett. Again, the effort was over the bar.

Campion made them pay for their profligacy when Tyler Falconer pounced on a defensive error to slam home his effort in the 73rd minute.

Hydel then pushed Campion back for what was a nervy final 10 minutes, with the latter blinking first.

Barrett, who had been playing brilliantly, found himself the creator of his own fortune, rather than assisting in the fortune of others, guiding his 88th-minute effort into the hearts of the Campionites.

Anderson breathed a sigh of relief at his captain’s last-ditch effort.

“It was a poor display from us, as we created numerous chances but failed to convert. We had to dig deep, and it shouldn’t have had to be that way. Nevertheless, it was an ugly draw and we’ll take it and move on. Four of our usual starters were out but we still should’ve finished the game from early. We’ll now go back to the training pitch, tweak a few things, and move on,” he said.

Newton Sterling, head coach of Campion College, while disappointed, said he will be shifting the team’s focus with the season not yet at an end.

“It’s sad that we lost out at the quarter-finals, but the boys fought. They only needed a point to move on and they got the result. They wanted the Manning Cup and the Champions Cup, but we still have a chance at another trophy and we’ll give it a shot,” Sterling said of the opportunity to mine the Walker Cup trophy which now looms.

orane.buchanan@gleanerjm.com