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Waterhouse, Tivoli show - Premier League teams to meet in COK knockout final
by Ainsley Walters, Freelance Writer
Waterhouse's Leon Strickland (left) looks to go around advancing goalkeeper Elvis Hart of Village United in the COK Champions Cup semi-final at the Edward Seaga Sports Complex yesterday. Strickland scored twice in a 4-2 come-from-behind win for Waterhouse. - Ian Allen
VILLAGE United imploded at the Edward Seaga stadium yesterday evening, giving up a 2-0 first-half lead to lose 4-2 against Waterhouse, who will meet Tivoli Gardens in the final of the COK Champions Cup knockout after the hosts crushed Granville 7-0 in the late semi-final.
Leon Strickland fired Waterhouse into their second knockout final of the season by scoring twice in a minute, 84th and 85th, after Vincent Earle (47th) and Jonathan Williams (67th) cancelled first-half goals scored by Village's Devon Clarke in the 12th and 30th minutes.
Village went in at the break 2-0 up and proceeded to rip apart each other in the visitors' dressing room. The men from Trelawny crumbled shortly after returning for the second half as Vincent Earle netted two minutes after the resumption.
The consistent Jonathan Williams pulled the Drewsland men level at 2-2 in the 69th, before Strickland killed the Villagers in the final six minutes in one-on-one chances with the goalkeeper.
In the late game, Tivoli gave defending Western Confederation champions Granville a taste of life in the big league, destroying the St James team 7-0, led by a four-timer from striker Jermaine Allen.
Tivoli were all over Granville, whose goalkeeper Loxley Reid, the husband of coach Tracey Reid, had a torrid time between the sticks before being substituted in the 32nd minute.
by Ainsley Walters, Freelance Writer
Waterhouse's Leon Strickland (left) looks to go around advancing goalkeeper Elvis Hart of Village United in the COK Champions Cup semi-final at the Edward Seaga Sports Complex yesterday. Strickland scored twice in a 4-2 come-from-behind win for Waterhouse. - Ian Allen
VILLAGE United imploded at the Edward Seaga stadium yesterday evening, giving up a 2-0 first-half lead to lose 4-2 against Waterhouse, who will meet Tivoli Gardens in the final of the COK Champions Cup knockout after the hosts crushed Granville 7-0 in the late semi-final.
Leon Strickland fired Waterhouse into their second knockout final of the season by scoring twice in a minute, 84th and 85th, after Vincent Earle (47th) and Jonathan Williams (67th) cancelled first-half goals scored by Village's Devon Clarke in the 12th and 30th minutes.
Village went in at the break 2-0 up and proceeded to rip apart each other in the visitors' dressing room. The men from Trelawny crumbled shortly after returning for the second half as Vincent Earle netted two minutes after the resumption.
The consistent Jonathan Williams pulled the Drewsland men level at 2-2 in the 69th, before Strickland killed the Villagers in the final six minutes in one-on-one chances with the goalkeeper.
In the late game, Tivoli gave defending Western Confederation champions Granville a taste of life in the big league, destroying the St James team 7-0, led by a four-timer from striker Jermaine Allen.
Tivoli were all over Granville, whose goalkeeper Loxley Reid, the husband of coach Tracey Reid, had a torrid time between the sticks before being substituted in the 32nd minute.
Goalmouth chance
Allen opened the scoring in the 11th, booting in from close range during a goalmouth melee before adding a second in the 14th, pouncing on a shot parried at his feet by Reid on the left side of goal.
The Tivoli striker made it 3-0 in the 26th when Reid gifted him with another goalmouth chance, pushing Oraine Simpson's square into his path in the box.
Navion Boyd pushed the score to 4-0 on the stroke of half-time, turning in a ball pushed to him by substitute goalie Ansani Donalds, who failed to hold on to a shot from Simpson.
Boyd turned provider 10 minutes after the break, hustling a ball in Tivoli's defence and breaking down the left side to pick up the return pass before dismissing Davian Thelwell and crossing for Allen to score his fourth and Tivoli's fifth in the 55th.
Blackford lashed in a beauty from 30 yards in the 75th to send the home side up 6-0 and substitute Roland Dean, who missed and easier chance in the 71st, completed the rout in the 81st, crashing in a shot from inside the box.
Coach Tracey Reid admitted her side was outclassed.
"Granville are giant slayers, yes, but Tivoli is a Premier League team and on a high. Granville have nothing to be ashamed of. Congrats to the guys for making it this far as we had several injuries, which kept out players today," said Reid. Winning coach Desmond Francis said it would be all-out, attacking football against rivals Waterhouse in the May 4 final.
Allen opened the scoring in the 11th, booting in from close range during a goalmouth melee before adding a second in the 14th, pouncing on a shot parried at his feet by Reid on the left side of goal.
The Tivoli striker made it 3-0 in the 26th when Reid gifted him with another goalmouth chance, pushing Oraine Simpson's square into his path in the box.
Navion Boyd pushed the score to 4-0 on the stroke of half-time, turning in a ball pushed to him by substitute goalie Ansani Donalds, who failed to hold on to a shot from Simpson.
Boyd turned provider 10 minutes after the break, hustling a ball in Tivoli's defence and breaking down the left side to pick up the return pass before dismissing Davian Thelwell and crossing for Allen to score his fourth and Tivoli's fifth in the 55th.
Blackford lashed in a beauty from 30 yards in the 75th to send the home side up 6-0 and substitute Roland Dean, who missed and easier chance in the 71st, completed the rout in the 81st, crashing in a shot from inside the box.
Coach Tracey Reid admitted her side was outclassed.
"Granville are giant slayers, yes, but Tivoli is a Premier League team and on a high. Granville have nothing to be ashamed of. Congrats to the guys for making it this far as we had several injuries, which kept out players today," said Reid. Winning coach Desmond Francis said it would be all-out, attacking football against rivals Waterhouse in the May 4 final.
