Boys' Town punish wasteful Village

Ainsley Walters, Gleaner Writer

AFTER watching his forwards waste clear chances in yesterday's 1-2 loss to 10-man Boys' Town at Collie Smith Drive, Village's coach, Kendale Mercury, had an almost humorous solution to the problem - only that he was dead serious.

"It's bad, of course," Mercury said, lamenting his strikers' poor form, four goals in eight games, seven of them losses which have kept Village rooted to the foot of the standings with just one point.

"You can see what's happening. I might just have to make a crazy decision and start putting defenders up there," he said.

"The strikers are up there, getting chances all by themselves and still not scoring. They'll just have to rub the bench for the next game and watch the defenders out there."

Justified anger

Mercury had every right to be angry. After holding defending champions Tivoli Gardens to a 0-0 draw at their Elliston Wakeland Centre base in Trelawny last week Sunday, Village could have, at least, left Boys' Town with another point yesterday after grabbing an 11th-minute lead.

Playing against an under-strength home side, the visitors went ahead when midfielder Orlando McBayne outpaced left back Romondo Johnson and fired in a low square from the flank.

The ball whizzed across goal, dissecting Boys' Town's defence and was met at the back post by unmarked forward Aldain Grant, who only had to guide in his shot as 'keeper Kirk Porter was woefully stranded, after being drawn to the near post.

From the outset, Village's goalie, Everton Richards, looked unsure of himself and it was no surprise when his defence failed to clear a ball and his equally slow reaction time allowed Dean Thompson to equalise in the 15th.

Village twice got chances to score, first to go ahead six minutes after half-time, plus an opportunity to level the score after Boys' Town substitute Marvin Stewart capitalised on a goalkeeping error to put the homesters up 2-1 in the in the 65th minute.

Six minutes after the restart, midfielder Troy Smith was under no pressure, dead centre of goal, but unbelievably kicked straight at Porter on his line after Alveranga made a scorching run down the flank, dismissed a Boys' Town defender and gave the midfielder the easiest of chances.

Grant, however, shouldn't have had anything to argue about on the team bus back to Trelawny as he was even more guilty in the 71st minute, kicking over the bar after McBayne's square from the right flank gave him what should have been his second goal of the match and a point for Village.

Boys' Town coach Andrew Price whose team was edged 1-0 on the road by Portmore United last week, said he was grateful for the points earned with a second-string team.

"At least four to five of our regular starters are not available so we gave some fringe players the chance and they acquitted themselves. It's good we got the three points but we made hard work of it," he said.