Late goals hand Jericho Rangers Hanover KO title

WESTERN BUREAU:

Relegation-bound Wes-tern Confederation Super League outfit, Jericho Rangers, gave their fans something to cheer about, after edging Lucea FC 2-1 to win the Hanover FA Charley's JB Rum Knockout competition yesterday at the Watson Taylor Park.

Both teams left it late in a game bereft of excitement for long durations. The game finally sprung to life in the 80th minute when Dorel Jowrey capitalised on a goalkeeping error to score.

Kadian Griffiths scored from the penalty spot in the 83rd minute, after Lucea's goalkeeper brought down Demar Dohman in the box.

Lucea found the back of the net in time added for stoppages, when Emile Thomas headed past the Rangers goalkeeper to cut the deficit in half, but it was too little, too late.

Sheridan Samuels, the Hanover FA president, hailed the level of play and promised more from his association.

"This is the first final we have witnessed under this administration, and we are delighted to have completed it in fine style," he said.

"Jericho Rangers are deserving champions, but we hope that our next major final will be played under far better footing. The playing area is in need of serious upgrade," lamented Samuels.

He told The Gleaner his administration will be seeking dialogue with the Sports Develop-ment Foundation (SDF), to fashion a plan to upgrade the Watson Taylor Park to a level befitting the quality football the clubs are being asked to undertake.

deserved the win

Meanwhile, winning captain Vaughn Kirlew said his team, while struggling in the Super League and is a certainty for relegation, played a good final and deserved the win.

"It was a competitive game. Lucea played us hard as usual, but we managed to turn the tide on them. We lost to this Lucea team in the final last year, so we are happy to defeat them this time around," he said.

"This, no doubt, will make up for our flop in the Super League," he added.

Jericho Rangers collected $50,000 for winning the KO title, while Lucea FC walked away with $30,000.