Harbour View through to Lynk Cup final four
Published:Thursday | April 20, 2023 | 1:16 AM
HARBOUR VIEW became the first semi-finalist in the Lynk Cup knockout tournament after beating Chapelton 2-1 for a 3-1 aggregate victory in their second-leg quarterfinal at the Anthony Spaulding Complex yesterday.
Earon Elliot gave the Clarendon team some hope after his 21st minute-strike put them 1-0 ahead and 2-1 in front on aggregate.
However, second-half goals from Romaine Breakenridge and Rojay Smith lifted the defending Jamaica Premier League (JPL) champions into the last four.
Harbour View’s Ajani Talbott was red-carded in time added after a second yellow card.
Harbour View coach Ludlow Bernard said even though Chapelton were relegated from the JPL on the weekend, he knew they would make a game of it.
“I expected it. Not because they are out of the Premier League means they were going to lie down and die. They came with a good strategy. They sat back and tried to hit us on the counter, and we had to dig a little deeper because they were very stubborn.
“But despite being compact at the back, we saw areas we could penetrate, and the players we brought on eventually made the difference,” he said
He added that it was always good to go far in any competition and that they looked forward to the semi-finals.
“A semi-final in any competition is usually a big thing, irrespective of who you are playing.
“Anybody we are drawn to play, I look forward to it, and I expect a really good game when that time comes,” said Bernard.
EARLY LEAD
Chapelton showed a lot of spirit in the early period, and Elliot put them ahead after 21 minutes, a lead they held until the interval.
Harbour View had their chances, and they eventually got the equaliser through Breakenridge in the 65th minute.
Both teams traded good attacks and had good looks at goal. However, Smith was the only one to capitalise on a chance when he netted with 15 minutes to go.
Chapelton continued to have good chances afterward but squandered them.
In added time, Talbott was ejected for a late challenge on David Reid, who had to be taken to hospital with a possible concussion.
Chapelton assistant coach Nigel Stewart said his team did not have the conditioning to see out the game.
“I thought we had a very good game up to 65 minutes, but fatigue set in, and we started to make mistakes in the final part of the game.”