Boyz were too good for rivals

Audley Boyd, Assistant Editor - Sport

THEY breezed through the first round with maximum points; they tripled the scoring rate of their competitors; they even had time to fight an internal battle; and yet, the Reggae Boyz still had extra in the tank to haul through two energy-sapping contests at crucial junctures and win the Digicel Caribbean Cup, with key members of its complement setting new standards.

Theodore 'Tappa' Whitmore, the head coach, and goalkeeper coach, Warren Barrett, both established landmarks while claiming success in both player-coach categories. They were members of Jamaica's 1998 win.

Assistant coach Bradley Stewart also got his first senior title for the team led by sweeper Shavar Thomas.

Thomas marshalled a tough defence, in which he got strong back from Adrian Reid and Jermaine Taylor, who was outstanding throughout.

But retaining the Digicel Caribbean Cup was not as easy as many thought it would have been, even though the Jamaicans championed the region yet again by virtue of its class, skill and resilience.

Their finer qualities were largely on display through the group play-offs, where they took down Antigua and Barbuda 3-1 in their opening match.

JA's leading goal scorer

Striker Luton Shelton netted a double in that match to surpass Paul 'Tegat' Davis as the nation's leading all-time goalscorer. Shelton, who plays professionally in Norway, inched ahead by one to 30, while slotting away goals in similar fashion to give Jamaica a comfortable lead.

Dane Richards, who had the crowd humming 'oohs' and 'aahs' as he dribbled his way skilfully to the top of their fan chart, netted the other goal, but missed what may have been a memorable second when he ripped their team to shreds with a mazy run from half line, befuddling half the Antiguan team before lifting the ball over the unprotected side of the goal.

Immediately after the match, the players were joined in their dressing room by Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) president, Captain Horace Burrell, who held a meeting to address biting concerns over per diem and percentage of winning prize.

By the following night, the situation had escalated to the point where the players issued the JFF an ultimatum for total per diem of US$1,200 plus the 80 per cent of cash prize, to which the JFF had already agreed.

Burrell held a meeting that ended close to 11 p.m., where he notified the players of his decision to meet their demands.

Different focus

It was a victory that brought a different focus to the team, the players bunching tighter with a renewed focus - they could not lose. That attitude was evident in their very behaviour, down to the way they walked and moved about, with a certain level of militancy.

Importantly, they took that attitude on to the field, withstanding whatever the other teams had to offer, as they marched on.

Next up was Guadeloupe and Richards, to the joy of all Jamaicans, remained light on his feet to lead the charge, with Luton, Ryan Johnson, who joined the team late, and Shelton.

Richards had much to offer - 'salads' and all adding to his sumptuous side orders, that helped topple Guadeloupe 2-0 in their second match, where Shaun Francis, with his first Reggae Boy goal; and Ryan Johnson, off a put back from Richard Edwards, scored a classic side-footed finish from the top of the penalty box, placing expertly between two defenders on the goal line.

The second goal, netted in the final minute of play, effectively killed off a spirited attempt at a comeback by Guadeloupe.

That win would launch Jamaica into the semi-finals, and the Gold Cup, as they not only secured top group spot, but also a top-four placing.

There were more firsts for the Jamaicans in the next match, a 4-0 demolition of Antigua and Barbuda.

Two 18-year-old schoolboys - Marvin Morgan Jr, whose grandfather, Lloyd 'Respic' Morgan, had played football and cricket for Jamaica; and Sergio Campbell, whose uncle, Rodolph Austin, is the regular starting midfielder.

Yellow card accumulation kept out Austin; both youngsters came on as half-time subs and Morgan netted a double, as well as set up a third for Eric Vernan to score. Richards netted the other goal.

The Reggae Boyz made the semi-final tougher and longer than it should have been, missing a great deal of wide-open chances before prevailing by a 2-1 scoreline over Grenada through goals from, who else, Richards, and Troy Smith, who replaced Francis, played wonderfully and capped it off with his first goal for Jamaica.

It made a extra-time victory that sent Jamaica into the finals.

Meanwhile, the other side of the draw produced one major casualty, with Trinidad and Tobago, the winningest team, booted and gone after opening-game losses against Cuba (2-0) and Grenada. By the time they got to Martinique, all hope of claiming a ninth title had already been eliminated and their 1-0 success proved nothing but a consolation for Russell Latapy and his young bunch.

The eight-nation Finals also took a big hit with the first-round ousting of hosts, Martinique, who were able to squeeze one point from a draw against Grenada, who had moved forward from the group to the semi-finals, with Cuba.

The scoring was not heavy, with Cuba leading their preliminary group with three goals being the next best finishers to the Reggae Boyz, who had smashed in nine goals while conceding two.

Cuba's lack of a killer punch in front of goal would come back to haunt them in the semis where, though dominating Guadeloupe, they suffered a 2-1 loss, despite leading, comfortably controlling the match, hitting the bar twice and missing many scoring chances.

The way in which they went about their earlier 2-0 success, and a similar beating in the semi-final of the previous tournament, may have given Jamaica the belief that Guadeloupe would be a walkover. It was not to be, as the stronger French team gave the Boyz a run for their money.

Omar Cummings had been fighting injury since he turned up for the championship, but fortune smiled on the quality striker in a strange way, with injury to Johnson in the semis.

Cometh the hour, cometh the man, and Cummings duly rose to the challenge to net his only goal of the tournament and hand Jamaica a 1-0 lead at the 33rd minute.

It was a lead they held only briefly, as Gregory Gendry capitalised on a defensive mistake to score at the 37th and tie up the game.

A battle of attrition ensued with neither team able to capitalise on its chances, as the game bustled its way to a finish without any additional goals, even through extra time.

Then came the dreaded penalty shoot-out, a high-quality affair ended by Jean Luc Lamboude's side-footed right-footer, that veered wide of the goalpost.

Austin, Shelton, penalty substitute O'Brian Woodbine, who entered the game with three minutes remaining in extra time, Vernan and Smith scored to hand Jamaica its fifth Digicel Caribbean Cup title.