Portmore KO Molynes in Lynk Cup thriller
Published:Friday | April 21, 2023 | 1:16 AMDaniel Wheeler/ Staff Reporter
Despite a late flurry from Molynes United, Portmore United survived and clinched their place in the Lynk Cup semi-finals after their 2-2 draw in their quarter-final return leg at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex yesterday.
Leading 2-1 from last week’s first leg, Chevaughn Walsh’s brace in the third and 63rd minutes gave Portmore United a seemingly unassailable 4-1 lead on aggregate. But Nicholas Nelson had a brace of his own in the 75th and 87th minutes to set up a grandstand finish in the final minutes. But Molynes could not carve out the golden chance they needed and Portmore held on to win the tie 4-3.
Portmore United head coach Phillip Williams, while pleased with the result, said that the game was a bit too open for his liking.
“Molynes are a good team with quality players. So we expected the game to be a tough one. It was a little bit too open for our liking. Portmore are a strong defensive team and to have given up three goals over the two legs is something we have to look into,” Williams said.
While the late charge did not produce the comeback that they wanted, Molynes United assistant coach Michael Blygen was miffed about the penalty calls that didn’t go his team’s way, particularly in the first half. However, he said that his team’s start did not do them any favours.
“One of the missed calls was a penalty and the one given to us was not a penalty. But I’m not in the business of blaming people,” Blygen said. “We started the game very poorly, we started really slow. But, in the second half when we put on the youngsters, they showed character and were rewarded with two goals,” Blygen said.
Williams had promised before the tie that the squad would not lack quality, despite changes. He was pleased with how the young core acquitted themselves in a high-intensity situation, something he said will be needed as they face challenges both on the Jamaica Premier League (JPL) and cup fronts.
LONG SEASON
“We started some players that were not in the starting 11 for a number of match weeks, and I think they put in a decent shift. We look to further rotate the squad because we have some quality youngsters who deserve some playing time,” Williams said. “We have accumulated some knocks because it has been a long season and we are not a deep squad. So they will have to step up.”
The same knockout mentality that the team displayed is what Williams hopes they will use, not only for their semi-final tie but the final three games of the JPL regular season with them being outside of the play-off places.