Highgate soar with win over Cavalier

André Lowe, Senior Staff Reporter

Kingston and St Andrew Football Association Super League champions, Cavalier, were knocked off their perch atop the Jamaica Football Federation all-island Confederation play-offs yesterday, after bowing to a 0-2 defeat at the hands of the impressive Highgate, at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex.

First-half goals from Jerome Wedderburn (13th minute) and midfield livewire Richard Orrett (44th) sent the unbeaten Eastern Confederation champions to the top of the four-team table with five points, one more than Cavalier, who were losing their first game of the play-off series.

In the late kick-off at Jarrett Park, Seba United capitalised on Cavalier's loss to move into second, also on five points, after registering a 1-0 win over Rivoli United.

Kemar James netted the goal at the 37th minute that provided victory, which lifted Seba to five points.

Rivoli, meanwhile, stayed bottom of the table with one point, as they suffered their second loss in three outings.

bookable offence

It didn't help that Cavalier were forced to play the final 30 minutes with a man short, after Horace Sharpe was sent to an early shower for a second bookable offence, just seconds after picking up his first card.

The St Mary-based Highgate outfit have been outplaying their opposition since the start of the series, but surrendered last-minute equalisers in both of their previous games against Rivoli and Seba, respectively.

Not this time though, as the visitors quickly established an advantage when Wedderburn's header found its way into the net from an early corner.

Cavalier tried to muscle their way back into the contest, but were undone by a combination of unconvincing play in the final third and resolute Highgate defending, led by the towering Anthowe Dawkins, who was making a return to the 'Jungle' after his Arnett Gardens past.

Sharpe, who was having a decent game before his ejection, could have equalised in minute 25, but saw his header from the top of the six-yard box sail embarrassingly high over the crossbar.

Minutes later, Reon Nelson, another of Highgate's 'brand-name' players, looked more like a Corner League striker when he failed to test goalkeeper Everdean Scarlett with a shot-turned-pass, after some good work on the left flank by Carlos Barrett.

Orrett, who was directing traffic all afternoon, would, however, make the most of his opportunity, albeit largely fortuitous. With time and space just inside the penalty box, the tricky Orrett struck at goal and was more than happy to see the ball trickle into the back of the net off the body of a Cavalier defender on the stroke of half-time, to send his team into the break with a 2-0 advantage.

The second half saw much of the same - Highgate dictating the play with crisp, quick passes and Cavalier chasing. The entire game was a chapter depicting the worst of the host team, who narrowly missed out on Premier League promotion last year; and the best of their confident visitors, who are trying to become the first St Mary team in the top flight since Star Cosmos achieved promotion in 2003.

Cavalier's second-half substitute, Fabian Nethersole, was spoon-fed two glorious opportunities to pull something back, but missed miserably on both occasions - first in the 52nd minute when he took too long to shoot after being played through by Donovan Alvaranga, and again in the 87th when he somehow missed from just outside the six-yard box.

Highgate's coach, Calvin Lewis, was quite pleased with his team's performance.

"Very pleased, it was a good team effort and I am very satisfied with how we moved the ball around, it was delightful to watch. Cavalier is a good team, so to come here and beat them like this is very pleasing to me," said Lewis.

Cavalier's Garfield Robinson singled out his team's lethargic display as the culprit behind their loss. He is already looking towards their next encounter against Seba on Wednesday.

"For the most part, the team was slow and very flat today. We will just have to turn our focus on our next match away to Seba, We need three points, but at this stage any point we get we'll take it," said Robinson.