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Sporting end Seba's dream of round final
Howard Walker
Monday, December 10, 2007
Sporting Central...................................... 2
Gray (6th), Gardner (12th)
Seba.............................................. ...............1
Ricketts (80th)
Sporting Central dashed Seba United's hope of making the Cash Plus Premier League first end-of-round final, defeating the latter 2-1 in an exciting encounter at Brancourt yesterday.
Seba, who started the day in second position on 16 points, needed only a win to advance to the final against Portmore United on December 16.
Two early goals by Hughan Gray in the sixth minute and Greg Gardner in the 12th, kept Sporting Central's six-game unbeaten home record intact.
Substitute Daniel Ricketts pulled one back for Seba in the 80th minute, but it turned out to be a case of too little, too late. But Seba had more than enough chances to save the match, but squandered chance after chance.
It was Sporting Central's third win of the season - all coming at home from six home games. The Clarendon-based team moves to 14 points to be in ninth position.
Coach Kevin Williams was happy for the win and the consistency his young team has been showing at home, but was not satisfied missing out on the end-of-round final.
"I am never satisfied unless I was playing in the end-of-round final. As a young team lurking in the league, you have to take maximum points at home, that's the only way you are going to survive in this elite league," he said.
Seba, who harboured serious thoughts of making the final, saw their hopes dashed in the first 12 minutes when they conceded two early goals enroute to losing for the fourth time in their last five games.
They lost to Arnett Gardens 0-1, beat Harbour View 2-0, before losing to Reno, Portmore United and yesterday's opponents 1-2 margins.
Coach Theodore Whitmore said the team had only themselves to blame. "We have no one to blame but ourselves. We had the opportunities. We played against Reno and Portmore where we should have gotten something out of those games and again today it was in our hands, so we have no one to blame but us," he noted.
Teams:
Sporting Central - Leighton Murray, Linval Lewis, Terry Alves (Carlton Aikens 77th), Marlon Allen, Owen Gordon, Jevaughn Watson, Christopher Mason (Valentine Gardner 56th), Sean Coleman, Karl Wiggan, Hughan Gray, Greg Gardner (Oneke Ford 64th).
Subs not used: W Griffiths, W Ricketts, T Smith, D Ford
Booked: Gardner (82nd), Gray (88th)
Seba United - Neil Lynch, Seian McNish, Kenneil Moodie, Stephen Forrest, Norman Foster, Ricardo Geddes (Daniel Ricketts 67th), Wilfred Smith, Delroy Ellis (Donovan Peart 79th), Mario Samuels, Kemar James, Oliver Trail (Omar Reid 67th).
Subs not used: G Barrett, A Dawkins, S Irving, P Lindsay
Booked: McNish (58th).
Referee: Oneil Clayton
Assistants: Stephen Brown, Lloyd Reader
Fourth Official: Patrick Findlay
Match Commissary: Courtney Brown
Howard Walker
Monday, December 10, 2007
Sporting Central...................................... 2
Gray (6th), Gardner (12th)
Seba.............................................. ...............1
Ricketts (80th)
Sporting Central dashed Seba United's hope of making the Cash Plus Premier League first end-of-round final, defeating the latter 2-1 in an exciting encounter at Brancourt yesterday.
Seba, who started the day in second position on 16 points, needed only a win to advance to the final against Portmore United on December 16.
Two early goals by Hughan Gray in the sixth minute and Greg Gardner in the 12th, kept Sporting Central's six-game unbeaten home record intact.
Substitute Daniel Ricketts pulled one back for Seba in the 80th minute, but it turned out to be a case of too little, too late. But Seba had more than enough chances to save the match, but squandered chance after chance.
It was Sporting Central's third win of the season - all coming at home from six home games. The Clarendon-based team moves to 14 points to be in ninth position.
Coach Kevin Williams was happy for the win and the consistency his young team has been showing at home, but was not satisfied missing out on the end-of-round final.
"I am never satisfied unless I was playing in the end-of-round final. As a young team lurking in the league, you have to take maximum points at home, that's the only way you are going to survive in this elite league," he said.
Seba, who harboured serious thoughts of making the final, saw their hopes dashed in the first 12 minutes when they conceded two early goals enroute to losing for the fourth time in their last five games.
They lost to Arnett Gardens 0-1, beat Harbour View 2-0, before losing to Reno, Portmore United and yesterday's opponents 1-2 margins.
Coach Theodore Whitmore said the team had only themselves to blame. "We have no one to blame but ourselves. We had the opportunities. We played against Reno and Portmore where we should have gotten something out of those games and again today it was in our hands, so we have no one to blame but us," he noted.
Teams:
Sporting Central - Leighton Murray, Linval Lewis, Terry Alves (Carlton Aikens 77th), Marlon Allen, Owen Gordon, Jevaughn Watson, Christopher Mason (Valentine Gardner 56th), Sean Coleman, Karl Wiggan, Hughan Gray, Greg Gardner (Oneke Ford 64th).
Subs not used: W Griffiths, W Ricketts, T Smith, D Ford
Booked: Gardner (82nd), Gray (88th)
Seba United - Neil Lynch, Seian McNish, Kenneil Moodie, Stephen Forrest, Norman Foster, Ricardo Geddes (Daniel Ricketts 67th), Wilfred Smith, Delroy Ellis (Donovan Peart 79th), Mario Samuels, Kemar James, Oliver Trail (Omar Reid 67th).
Subs not used: G Barrett, A Dawkins, S Irving, P Lindsay
Booked: McNish (58th).
Referee: Oneil Clayton
Assistants: Stephen Brown, Lloyd Reader
Fourth Official: Patrick Findlay
Match Commissary: Courtney Brown