Campion coach praises goalkeeper after Walker Cup win
Published:Friday | November 11, 2022 | 5:59 AMDaniel Wheeler/Staff Reporter
Campion College head coach Ashton Morgan is making a case for his goalkeeper, Alex James, to be rated as one of the best in schoolboy football this season.
James got and took his opportunity to prove why, making two critical saves in the penalty shoot-out as his school beat Jose Marti High 4-1 on penalties in their ISSA/Digicel Walker Cup first round game at Calabar High School yesterday afternoon.
The game finished 1-1 after regulation as Shemar Hanchard scored in the 35th minute for Jose Marti before Kai Myles equalised in the 53rd minute. Campion had their chances to win it in normal time in the second half, with Myles unable to find the target as well as Bryan Mayhew, who took on the Jose Marti defence by himself but saw his shot go just wide.
James thrived from the spot in the shoot-out. He made saves in the first and third rounds as Campion converted all four of their kicks including Thierry Johnson’s decisive fourth-round attempt to send them through.
Morgan praised the composure and play of James throughout the season.
“After the first game of our Manning Cup season, people wondered if we needed a goalkeeper. And I said that if the goalkeeper is our problem then we have no problem. This is someone that can easily be a national goalkeeper. He is one of the top players in the programme in the island,” Morgan said.
Morgan’s faith in his number one is matched by James himself who said that he had no qualms about stepping up when called upon.
“I think it’s my ability to just be brave on the pitch, especially in penalties. I believe I am one of the best in Jamaica at saving penalties. I think I have a certain amount of confidence to believe that I can save it no matter how unstable a shot may look. I know that I can save it,” James said.
FIRST-HALF PERFORMANCE
Jose Marti weren’t without chances themselves especially in the first half, which only produced the lone goal. Jose Marti head coach Patrick Lewis lamented conceding in the manner that they did after their first-half performance as their season came to a close.
“We put up a great fight. Honestly, we didn’t expect to lose this game the way that we lost the game because it was a goalkeeping error that caused the equaliser,” Lewis said. “Furthermore, I believe we had great control over the game. I guess it’s just unfortunate that we lost this game.”
The schoolboy football adventure continues for Campion, and Morgan said he is proud of the fact that they have the chance for silverware after meeting their goal of a first second-round Manning Cup appearance in 30 years.
“There is not one player here that has played under -19 before,” Morgan said while hailing the players for helping the school to make the transition from a history of losing to a tradition of winning.
Campion will now face either Haile Selassie, Wolmer’s, St George’s College, or Charlie Smith in the last eight.