Henry's goal lifts Morant Bay

Ryon Jones, Gleaner Writer

Morant Bay High got their DaCosta Cup campaign off to a winning start yesterday as they clipped Yallahs High 1-0 in their Zone L encounter at Phillips Field in St Thomas.

It was a fitting win for the Highbury Crescent-based institution, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. It also marked an improvement on their start to last season's campaign, which saw them suffer defeat at the hands of Seaforth High.

Yesterday's game was, however, a rather lacklustre affair, which saw both teams exhibiting faulty finishing.

The game's lone goal came in the 38th minute when Clement Brown picked up a ball on the left side of Yallahs' 18-yard box. He got by his marker, before chipping a pass to Akeem Henry, whose slightly mishit shot found the back of the net from close range.

Goalscoring opportunity

However, it was the home team, Yallahs, who in the 18th minute got the first clear goalscoring opportunity of the game. Adonis Bennett played a ball over the top of Morant Bay's defence to Romario Lumsden. Lumsden controlled the ball before cutting in from the right flank and getting off a powerful shot which Morant Bay's custodian, Ricardo Williams, did extremely well to get down to his right and block.

Morant Bay's Clement Brown should have made it two-nil in the 75th minute after being put through on goal. Despite being unchallenged in the box and with the keeper at his mercy, he dragged his shot wide.

Both teams ended the game with only two of their six shots being on target.

Morant Bay's coach, Patrick Barclay, attributes his team's victory to their fighting spirit.

"The fighting spirit was there, so even without the legs to do it and the muscles, the mind carried them through," said Barclay.

"It is a very good feeling, given the fact that we haven't put in any foundation work or any background work. Victory with that preparation is very, very good," he added.

Lesta Bernard, coach of Yallahs, was naturally disappointed with the result and blamed his team's poor finishing for the loss.

"I am very disappointed, because if we had played to our game plan it wouldn't have been this way," said Bernard. "The main thing that cost us to lose the game was that we got several chances and we did not put them away, and we surrendered our midfield.

"It is early in the season, we still have more games to play and we just have to regroup and come again," he added.

Yesterday's Results

Zone A: Cornwall College 4 Green Pond 0

Zone B: Herbert Morrison 4 Hopewell 2, Rusea's 3 Maldon 0;

Zone C: York Castle 1 Cedric Titus 1, Ocho Rios 3 Albert Town 1;

Zone D: St Mary Tech 3 Islington 1;

Zone F:- Munro 3 Maggotty 0;

Zone I: Garvey Maceo 2 Tacius Golding 1, Glenmuir 4 Central 0;

Zone K: Fair Prospect 0 Port Antonio 0, Buff Bay 2 Happy Grove 1;

Zone L: Morant Bay 1 Yallahs 0, St Thomas Technical 8 Robert Lightbourne 0.