JC rebound, Eltham thump Tivoli

Jamaica College (JC) bounced back from their 2-2 draw with Tivoli Gardens on Saturday and took a vital step towards qualifying for the ISSA Manning Cup quarter-finals with a solid 2-0 win over Norman Manley High School in Zone Four of the round of 16 at Ashenheim Stadium yesterday.

Captain Joshua King headed the former champions into the lead after 23 minutes, while Khary Senior sealed the victory with a second goal 12 minutes into the second half.

The win moved JC into second place on four points, two behind leaders Eltham High, who hammered Tivoli Gardens 9-0 to maintain their perfect start with maximum points from two matches.

JC coach Jason Henry said it was a solid and efficient display and expressed satisfaction with the team’s execution.

“I am really happy for the boys. We got off to a slow start in this round. But at the end of the day, we still haven’t lost any game on the field. Our defence is still standing strong and we are happy for the clean sheet,” he said.

JC struggled at times to break down their opponents and looked short of ideas in the attacking third.

However, they remained dangerous from set pieces, particularly corner kicks, and Jaquan Brown forced a save from goalkeeper Dylan Davis in the 22nd minute.

From the resulting corner, King powered home from close range to open the scoring.

Senior later had a great opportunity after being played through on goal, but failed to beat Davis in a one-on-one situation.

Jimally Renne also came close from another corner, but flashed his header wide of the target.

After the break, Khalil Harriott threatened with another header from a corner kick. However, Senior put the game beyond doubt when he raced onto a clearance and lifted the ball past Davis for JC’s second goal.

Norman Manley nearly pulled one back late in the contest, but Tequan Underhill’s deflected effort struck the post and rebounded into play.

Norman Manley sit at the foot of the standings without a point from two matches, but coach Shane-Michael Gage still expressed pride in his team’s effort.

“In the first half the boys were a little nervous. They are still adjusting to the round-of-16 level, but credit to them, second half they came out and represented.

“We came for the win. That was the objective, but I am proud of the boys. There is a lot of positives to take from this,” he stated.

Meanwhile, in the first game of the double-header, Santana Headley (3rd, 20th pen, 44th, 54th, 60th, 64th) scored six times in Eltham’s 9-0 demolition of Tivoli Gardens. Darrel Hines (27th, 39th) added a brace, while Ra-Jemare Lee (75th) also found the back of the net.

livingston.scott@gleanerjm.com

Yesterday’s Games

JC 2-0 Norman Manley

Tivoli 0-9 Eltham