Close shave

MANY-TIME WINNERS Cornwall College squeezed into the final eight of the ISSA/WATA daCosta Cup after a nail-biting 1-1 draw with defending champions Clarendon College at Foga Road yesterday.

Cornwall ended Group 1 second by the difference of a single goal, finishing on four points like St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS), who failed to get by the bottom-placed Mile Gully, who were earning their first point of the round of 16.

The result sends Mile Gully and STETHS into the first round of the Ben Francis Cup.

Cornwall’s Lincoln Cox, the team’s leading goalscorer with seven strikes, opened the scoring in the 43rd minute. It wasn’t until the 80th minute that Clarendon’s talisman, Kaheim Dixon, levelled for Clarendon, though the defending champions no longer needed a result from the game, having already racked up six points.

Cornwall, underdogs in the game, outplayed Clarendon in the first half, controlling possession but failing to convert on a number of easy chances.

Things would get better for Cornwall in the 43rd when Cox timed Raheem Lee’s cross to perfection, heading home to leave some jittery fans at Foga Road.

The battles took place on and off the field, with supporters of both teams at each other over which of the teams was the ‘real CC’.

Conceding a goal did not sit well with the defending champions, and they came hunting in the second half, much to the chagrin of the Cornwall fans.

The beautiful football of the first half was replaced with the traditional stop-start of a game that means much to both teams. The more physical bent of the game kept the all-female team of referees busy.

The boys from Chapelton fought hard and began to dominate proceedings, their efforts paying off in the 80th minute when Dixon, showing deft control, slotted home from inside the box.

Cornwall, aware of their precarious position, weren’t about to lie down, and created the final chance of the game but Clarendon goalkeeper, Roshae Burrell proved equal to the task.

Lenworth Hyde, head coach of Clarendon, said the game was good for the spectators.

“I must congratulate Cornwall on a spirited performance. They played us tooth and nail, up and down and attacking, and I enjoyed most of it. We tried to play football, they defended well, we created some chances which we didn’t put a way, but such is the football. We have to find other ways to win games and score goals. For the past three games, Dixon has not scored a goal, and I spoke to him about it today and he came up trumps for us. It enabled us to go to the second round,” said Hyde, who hadn’t yet heard the score between Mile Gully and STETHS.

‘A well-prepared team’

“You know the CC them when them clash is excitement. I must lift my hat to the coach also. He presented a well-prepared team against us today,” he added.

Dr Dean Weatherly, coach of Cornwall College, was happy for his charges, who were made to work for their spot in the quarter-finals.

“The boys worked very hard for this one. It was one that was needed because we have been in the wilderness for a long time. So we had to come and establish ourselves. Cornwall College, we are the perennial winners, and we have to re-establish ourselves and make everybody know that Cornwall is here. It was one of those games where we have a lot of players with a lot of niggles, so you know we have to play the game minute by minute. We have to control the game, and I think we did a very good job, and I know we are pleased with it,” Weatherly said.

“As for the knockout stages, with Cornwall football, we have to rise to the occasion. We have to behave like we are champions. We have to go back to the drawing board, sit down, focus on the games ahead, and get them ready mentally. And we just say that the sky is the limit,” said Weatherly.

The other quarter-finalists were also revealed today after the last set of games in the round, with already-through BB Coke being joined by the highly fancied Manchester from Group 2, and Dinthill and Christiana making it from Group 3. McGrath and William Knibb will now join those to play in the first round of the Ben Francis KO.

From Group 4, the quarter-finalists are Glenmuir and Garvey Maceo, with Frome and Port Antonio making way.

Yesterday’s results

Mile Gully 0-0 STETHS

Manchester 2-0 Happy Grove

Tacky High 0-4 BB Coke

Clarendon 1-1 Cornwall

Dintill Tech 2-1 William Knibb 1

McGrath 0-2 Charistiana

Port Antonio 1-4 Garvey Maceo

Frome 1-2 Glenmuir