Downs upstage fancied Mile Gully in title-decider

Richard Bryan, Gleaner Writer

Downs have won the right to represent the parish of Manchester in the upcoming national Flow All-Island Knockout Championship, this after they endured a battle of nerves to win a sudden-death penalty shoot-out against highly fancied Mile Gully, to land the Brumalia House/Locker Rooms Sports Manchester Knockout Cup, in the final at Brooks Park on Thursday.

The two had earlier produced a 2-2 result after regulation and extra-time and were also locked at 4-4 after the first set of penalties.

The script had barely resembled a triumph for the south Manchester team when Jason Johnson, who earlier this year wore the senior Reggae Boyz shirt, and one of three players on scholarship at Virginia Commonwealth University, scored twice for Mile Gully.

Among Johnson's goals was a 78th-minute free-kick cracker from 25 yards.

However, Downs found two well-crafted goals at crucial moments from the two other main architects of their win, substitute Danville Cornwall and their overseas star, Deshaun Brown, the former daCosta Cup golden boot winner from St Elizabeth Technical High School.

Attendance at the game had been boosted from the turn-out of grieving patrons, who had earlier gone to pay final respects to the competition's sponsor, Howie Chin, whose death the previous week had shocked the sporting and business fraternity.

Special guests

In fact, among the special guests were national assistant senior team coach Bradley Stewart, and KSAFA icon Carlton 'Spanner' Dennis.

However, the game initially did not live up to expectations, with the lone spark of the first hour being a goal scored by Johnson, as early as the seventh minute.

Mile Gully stayed in control of the game and seemed to be cruising until Downs' coach, Sean Mulgrave, produced the substitution of Danville Cornwall at the hour mark.

Cornwall, who impressed Stewart, immediately changed the momentum from Mile Gully, tormenting their left side and producing crosses for Brown, who had been kept quiet by the double-teaming work of Shenaldo Parkes and Andre Smith.

Mulgrave later reasoned to The Gleaner that Cornwall's good work changed the focus of Mile Gully's marking on Brown, freeing up space in the attacking third.

The combination proved effective as Cornwall levelled the score in the 61st minute, before Brown expertly wielded his way to get the go-ahead goal in the 68th.

The early signs of upset were averted by Johnson's long-range beauty, the left-footer swerving with pace to beat the outstretched arms of Downs keeper Bismark Green for a 2-2 scoreline.

Johnson would again come close in the final minutes, his 20-yard curler just shaving the crossbar with Green beaten.

He scored his penalty, but Mile Gully came up short.