Rattray’s five-star performance powers Edith Dalton over Ardenne
Published:Tuesday | February 28, 2023 | 1:10 AMDaniel Wheeler/Staff Reporter
Edith Dalton James coach Godfrey Walcott may not have wanted to overly rely on the abilities of striker Danishca Rattray but her five-star performance fuelled a second-half surge which pushed her team to a 6-2 win over Ardenne High in their ISSA/TIP Friendly Schoolgirls Football encounter at the Ardenne High playing field yesterday.
Rattray put five in the Ardenne High net in the eighth, 15th, 42nd, 65th and 79th minutes, with three goals coming in the second half. Treventa Danvers added one in the 39th minute but Edith Dalton had a scare in the first half when they surrendered a 2-0 lead within minutes thanks to goals from Isabelle Redwood in the 30th minute and Jahniya Campbell in the 32nd minute.
While pleased with the performance of his number nine, Walcott was hoping for a more complete team performance to not seem one dimensional.
“She (Rattray) is a very talented player. She had to do too much today and that wasn’t our intention. So even though it was individual talent that defeated Ardenne, it is a big disappointment for me because I wanted a team effort overall,” Walcott told The Gleaner.
The result did not tell the entire story. Coach Walcott felt that the game got away from them after Ardenne’s equaliser with the momentum shifting the home team’s way.
“There are some things that we have to tighten up on because it seemed to be slipping away from us because at one point the discipline of Ardenne was very commendable. They came back to 2-2 and it was because of a lack of concentration on our part,” Walcott said. So those are the things I will have to tighten up in terms of fitness and discipline. But it was a good game overall.”
Ardenne High head coach Tamara Williams felt that they missed an opportunity to capitalise on the pressure that they put on their opponents after restoring parity.
“It took a toll on us. In the second half, we came out a bit flat and it took a little while to get back in. They scored a goal and put us on the back foot and we started to chase the game hence the result,” Williams said. “We just had a lapse in terms of discipline for three minutes and it was tough to get back. But the girls gave me everything.”
Williams has had to work with a squad whose players have been drawn from different sports in their first season after the COVID-19 pandemic. However, she says that she is hoping to mould a team not only for the present but for the future.
“Most of these girls are from netball and track and field, so it was not very easy for me to get them playing football but it is a learning process for them and they have a far way to go,” Williams said.
Selected results
Excelsior 15 Merl Grove 0
Tivoli High 2 Titchfield 1
Camperdown 7 Pembroke Hall 0
Denham 1 Yallahs 0
St Andrew Technical High 9 Bridgeport 0
Old Harbour High 1 Greater Portmore 0
Bishop Gibson 1 Belair 1
St Jago 8 Etham High 0
Green Pond 1 Sport Valley 0
Frome 10 York Castle 0
Kemps Hill 3 Central 0
Garvey Maceo 18 Foga Road 0