Waite relishes chance of playing KC again

Ryon Jones, Gleaner Writer

Charlie Smith High's head coach, Jerome Waite, would love the opportunity to avenge their Walker Cup loss to Kingston College by earning a rematch in the semi-final of the 2011-12 Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA)/ Gatorade/Digicel Manning Cup competition, after witnessing his team close out the group stage with a 3-2 win over Bridgeport yesterday at the Spanish Town Prison Oval to end with a perfect nine points in Group J.

Bridgeport ended the game with nine players.

Charlie Smith, which fielded a team comprising of only four regular starters, got their goals by way of Ramon Brown (64th), Michaelos Martin (69th, penalty) and Raylon Raisley (83rd), while Bridgeport netted through Rayon Swire (10th, penalty, 79th).

In the group's other match, Spanish Town clipped Waterford 1-0 courtesy of a 70th-minute strike by second-half substitute Tevin Brown. Spanish Town's compliment of players was reduced in the 60th and 69th minutes, when keeper Mikhail Harrison and Romaine Roije, in that order, were ejected.

Charlie Smith will on Saturday face either KC or Jamaica College in the semi-final as the two schools clash in Group K's top-of-the-table clash today at the Constant Spring playing field to determine which advances.

Three-time winners Charlie Smith's lone defeat of the season came in the first round of the Walker Cup when they were clipped 1-0 by KC and Waite is relishing the chance to play them again.

"It doesn't matter who (we play), but when you look at it we have played KC already, so it would be good to play them again," Waite expressed. "That was the game (Walker Cup match) Charlie Smith did not play and we know why; we had our own little internal affairs.

"But we have ensured that we have ironed out that, so come Saturday whoever the team is we are looking forward to it," he added.

Failing to progress

Bridgeport ended third in the group with two points, one ahead of Waterford (one) and two adrift of Spanish Town (four).

This was the first time since 2006 that the Anthony Patrick-coached Bridgeport was failing to reach the semi-final. A possible reason for them failing to progress is a lack of discipline, which was evident in the 59th and 60th minutes when Damainee Williams and Oshane Thompson were dismissed for using foul and abusive language towards teammates.

"The last player (Thompson) that got the red card is an upper-six (13th grade) player in the school, so I am very, very upset to see a player like that get such a red card," Patrick expressed. "The first player (Williams) can play again next year, so I have to really take a stance."