‘Nothing to be ashamed about’
Charlie Smith coach proud despite semi-final Manning Cup loss JC, KC to meet in final for the first time since 1975
Published:Wednesday | January 12, 2022 | 12:12 AMDaniel Wheeler/Staff Reporter
DESPITE THEIR best efforts, the clock finally struck midnight for Charlie Smith High in the ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup.
Their resilience proved no match for defending champions Jamaica College who defeated them 3-0 in their semi-final yesterday at Stadium East Field.
Dwight Merrick opened the scoring in the 36th minute while Tarick Ximines and Giovanni Minto added second-half goals in the 67th and 92nd minutes, respectively, to guide JC to back-to-back finals under head coach Davion Ferguson.
With concerns regarding their readiness at the start of the truncated season and the school dealing with the scandal involving their embattled former principal, Ferguson said that it was pleasing for JC to be highlighted for something positive.
“This is something new, something positive for the institution. And when we sat out at the start of the season, the objective was to go all the way in the Manning Cup,” Ferguson said
“We are one game away from lifting it. It won’t be easy but we will be prepared and ready for it.”
Ferguson will have the opportunity to retain the title in his second competitive season after weathering the early aggressive storm that Charlie Smith brought.
Charlie Smith head coach Eugene Williams had nothing but praise for his young charges, having defied the odds for the majority of the campaign.
“As I told them, they have nothing to be ashamed about. They can hold their heads high because we shouldn’t even be in this position,” Williams said.
“We were having the better run of play until we conceded the goal and that’s where some of the indiscipline came.”
Charlie Smith needed to win their final two games of the first round and the quarter-finals to get to the final four.
It was that aggressive mindset that Ferguson said they were anticipating but was pleased with the way they managed the game throughout
“They were fresher than us at the start but I knew that we couldn’t match them physically. So what we needed to do was gain control of the game,” Ferguson said.
JC captain Duncan Mckenzie said that the continued trust within the team has been the guiding light of their season with the majority of them having been together since first form.
“I think it has definitely helped us because we know each other. We know how all the players move on the field and that’s what happens when you have chemistry,” McKenzie said.
Standing in their way will be Kingston College who came from behind to defeat St Andrew Technical High 4-2 to have an opportunity at their 16th Manning Cup title. Second-half goals from Ronardo Burgher, Luis Watson and Christopher Pearson spearheaded the comeback which, according to KC head coach Ludlow Bernard, showed heart in the face of adversity.
“What it did was it showed quite a bit of character from our players because irrespective of who you are playing against, going behind against a team in a semi-final can be really burdensome,” Bernard said.
“So they showed a lot of spirit, a lot of character against a very talented St Andrew Technical team.”
A KC-JC final is happening in the Manning Cup for the first time since 1975.