Manning Cup: JC, Excelsior in entertaining 2-2 draw

In what proved to be an intense encounter between the top contenders in Zone F, Jamaica College (JC) and Excelsior High played out a 2-2 draw in their ISSA Manning Cup match at the Ashenheim Stadium yesterday.

Neither team could find the winner as they traded goals throughout the entertaining encounter which saw all four goals coming in the second half.

Dylan John opened the scoring for JC in the 50th minute before Excelsior pulled level just minutes later through a strike from Kimarly Scott in the 53rd minute.

Damarley Williams put Excelsior in front in the 58th minute but JC salvaged the draw as John got his brace from the penalty spot in the 88th minute

JC head coach Davion Ferguson said while he was disappointed with not coming away with all three points, he applauded the persistence of his team to come away with a point.

“I’m proud of the performance that we put on. We came up against a very good Excelsior team,” he said. “We reacted well in the second half and I think we should have won the game. They have the quality and they know what is at stake. As I’ve said, I think Excelsior are a very good team. They gave us a lot and I think we responded well.”

The opening minutes of the game had set the tone as both teams were locked in an intense end-to-end battle for supremacy.

The visitors had the better of the early exchanges as Shadeko Wizzard struck the crossbar twice in the first half.

JC would start to exert more pressure as the game progressed and were rewarded with the opening goal in the 50th minute.

A poor touch from the normally reliable Excelsior goalkeeper Jamari Gordon was pounced upon by John who struck from distance into an empty net.

Still celebrating their goal, JC were rocked on their heels when Scott struck gold with a half volley off a loose ball inside the penalty that left the JC custodian rooted to the spot.

Williams put Excelsior ahead from a brilliant run on the counter before slipping the ball between the legs of Nathaniel Aiken in the JC goal.

JC pulled level from the penalty spot in the dying minutes of the game as John stepped up and placed the ball to the bottom right of the goal.

After the match, John said it was important for JC not to lose at home, as they were playing with the school’s pride on the line.

“I told them not to give up on us because this is our home turf so we can’t lose, even if we end up with a draw, we cannot lose here. This is Jamaica College, so it’s a big big deal,” John said.

Keon Broderick, head coach of Excelsior, said while he had hoped to leave with a win, he was happy with the point at the home of one of their main rivals.

“I’m a bit disappointed that we couldn’t come out here with the three points but, nonetheless, one point away from home is always good. A point at Jamaica College is definitely something to cheer about.”

The result means JC stay atop the zone with seven points from three matches while Excelsior sit third with four points from two games.