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Karl
Senior Member
USA
914 Posts |
 Posted - Mar 25 2003 : 12:49:00 AM
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Boyz clip B'dos 2-1
published: Monday | March 24, 2003
By Audley Boyd, Staff Reporter
Fabian Taylor (right) putting the Reggae Boyz in front in the 19th minute of yesterday's friendly at the National Stadium. Jamaica won 2-1. - Michael Sloley /Freelance Photographer
THE REGGAE Boyz got the victory they badly needed, beating east Caribbean team Barbados 2-1 in their friendly international last night.
Not even the fulfilment of that craving, however, was satisfying enough to make it a bigger talking point than penalty decisions not offered by Caymanian referee Godfrey Bowen to the visitors at crucial periods of their confrontation at 'The Office'.
Fabian Taylor (20th) and second half sub Omar Daley (78th) scored for the Jamaicans who ended an uneasy four-match stretch for themselves and Carl Brown since his official appointment as technical director.
They lost three of those games, starting with an away 0-1 finish with the team they beat last night. Avenging that defeat in an emphatic manner might have earned the Boyz more feathers and give their following greater enthusiasm ahead of crucial Caribbean semi-final group Gold Cup qualifiers later this week.
In the context of recent happenings though, anything would suffice.
"These are the sort of things we need to do," Brown said of the win. "We got two goals here tonight and that is what we want to continue to do. I believe if we get two goals against Caribbean teams it will be enough to win games seeing that we are a very strong team defensively."
It could have been a greater confidence booster but for a handful of off target finishes and a couple of highly questionable calls inside the 18-yard box against less talented and fashionable opponents, who gave a honest effort and seemed cheated out of a more favourable margin than that given by Kirk Cox's 60th minute goal.
"It was a fair game in terms of the performance of both teams. But we had a few decisions that went against us that concerned your defending inside the 18-yard box," said Barbados' coach Allison John, who is also a referee. "I don't want to look like I'm crying down the officiating but a foul is a foul. If we were given the opportunity we'd have scored."
The first call at the 28th minute was more 'airy-fairy' when pacey Ryan Lucas went down trying to turn on a pass against a sliding challenge from Gerald Neil.
The second at the 71st was odd, to say the least, Lucas again the man at the centre when being helped to the turf with an arm and a leg by sweeper Shavar Thomas tackle and a piece of the man's jersey in his hand.
Commenting on the decisions, Brown said: "That is the referee's job. These are calls that will either go for you are against you. We had a similar situation in Cuba. When we lost 0-1 we believed that we should have gotton a penalty. This is the referees job and he has his job out there to do."
Those plays almost totally summed up the fleeting moments of real danger extended by the plucky Barbadians who but for the opening minutes of the second half, played behind the ball with a distinct intent to hit on the counter.
Apart from the final 15 minutes when a host of substitutes livened the game, Jamaica played a more possessive game and kept the ball for long periods in the first half without constantly posing a threat because they lacked the pace, manpower and movements with belief to polish off the initial openings they created in front the defensive line protecting Adrian Chase's goal.
A fairly new-look midfield with Cornel Chin-Sue, Jermaine Hue and central defender Damion Stewart in a four-man midfield with regular fixture Theodore Whitmore may have contributed with players often running into each other's path in their getting used to game.
Another factor was the forced usage at left-back of the man long being groomed for the stopper's role, Claude Davis - one who to be fair was really out of position and not the type to exploit the yards of space along the flank with crosses.
The opposite happened on the right with natural full-back Gerald Neil a dangerous customer while regularly firing in the type of crosses that almost gave Jamaica at goal at the fifth when unmarked Taylor, the busier of a front-line duo, headed powerfully against the goalpost.
Andrew (Andy) Williams, a long time creative midfielder, played alongside Taylor at forward and made up for less touches with some telling plays behind defence.
It was Williams' deflected effort to Taylor which opened the gate for the first goal - a wonderful strike from the top of the 18-yard box which swerved out the Barbadian goalie's reach.
He would open up Neil to cross for Taylor, who spun 180 degrees and hit a hard shot well held from close range by Chase just before half-time; then later let through Taylor who after turning past one defender tried to be too kind from an angle at six yards by attempting to feed Williams a return for an easy finish in the second half. Another defender intercepted.
For the second goal, however, none could pick off any of the passes linked between substitutes Roen Nelson, Christopher Nicholas and ultimately Daley, who faked a defender to create space then perfectly place a grounder through traffic just inside the far post. The goalie had no chance.
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Karl |
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Boyz clip B'dos 2-1
