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Sean William
Saturday, October 18, 2008
When Luton Shelton rounded the Honduran goalkeeper Noel Valladares on Wednesday at 'The Office', goal was marked all over the move.
That solitary strike in the 16th minute of play gave Jamaica's Reggae Boyz a precious 1-0 victory over the dangerous Central Americans, which kept their South Africa 2010 ambitions alive.
While Shelton's goal was the decisive factor in the must-win game, it really was just a slice of another sizzling display by the Boyz, who four days earlier stopped Mexico 1-0 to pump oxygen back in their gasping CONCACAF Semi-Final World Cup Qualifying campaign.
Though he missed a few opportunities to score more goals or was prevented by good goalkeeping, Shelton breathed a sigh of relief that his goal helped the team to victory.
"Actually I am very happy because we went out there to win the game and we did it. Sometimes you get chances and you don't take them, but you just have to play on. I am grateful for the one goal, so we just have to move on because we have one more game to go and we have to win that and see if we can go through to the next round," said the Norway-based Valerenga striker.
Shelton, a former Harbour View (Jamaica), Sheffield United (England) and Helsingborgs (Sweden) man, said he had vowed prior to the kick-off that it was going to be his day. And it was.
"It feels very good (to score) because before the game I said I wanted to score and I did go out there and score. For the next game, I am going to try and get in front of the goal as much as possible. In the other game we have to try and score as many goals as we have to win this game by a good margin."
The speedy striker - who turns 24 next month and capped 35 times - scored his 21st goal for Jamaica when he was played in by captain Ricardo Gardner and he used his quickness to good effect, rounding the advancing Valladares before slipping the ball back and across a retreating defender and into the far side netting to spark bedlam inside the National Stadium.
Then on the hour mark, Valladares broke the Jamaicans' hearts yet again when he punched away one-handed, Shelton's fierce left-footer.
Shelton threatened again when Fuller lofted a pass to him at the halfway line and the fleet-footed striker rounded one marker before unleashing his left-footer which was saved
Saturday, October 18, 2008
When Luton Shelton rounded the Honduran goalkeeper Noel Valladares on Wednesday at 'The Office', goal was marked all over the move.
That solitary strike in the 16th minute of play gave Jamaica's Reggae Boyz a precious 1-0 victory over the dangerous Central Americans, which kept their South Africa 2010 ambitions alive.
While Shelton's goal was the decisive factor in the must-win game, it really was just a slice of another sizzling display by the Boyz, who four days earlier stopped Mexico 1-0 to pump oxygen back in their gasping CONCACAF Semi-Final World Cup Qualifying campaign.
Though he missed a few opportunities to score more goals or was prevented by good goalkeeping, Shelton breathed a sigh of relief that his goal helped the team to victory.
"Actually I am very happy because we went out there to win the game and we did it. Sometimes you get chances and you don't take them, but you just have to play on. I am grateful for the one goal, so we just have to move on because we have one more game to go and we have to win that and see if we can go through to the next round," said the Norway-based Valerenga striker.
Shelton, a former Harbour View (Jamaica), Sheffield United (England) and Helsingborgs (Sweden) man, said he had vowed prior to the kick-off that it was going to be his day. And it was.
"It feels very good (to score) because before the game I said I wanted to score and I did go out there and score. For the next game, I am going to try and get in front of the goal as much as possible. In the other game we have to try and score as many goals as we have to win this game by a good margin."
The speedy striker - who turns 24 next month and capped 35 times - scored his 21st goal for Jamaica when he was played in by captain Ricardo Gardner and he used his quickness to good effect, rounding the advancing Valladares before slipping the ball back and across a retreating defender and into the far side netting to spark bedlam inside the National Stadium.
Then on the hour mark, Valladares broke the Jamaicans' hearts yet again when he punched away one-handed, Shelton's fierce left-footer.
Shelton threatened again when Fuller lofted a pass to him at the halfway line and the fleet-footed striker rounded one marker before unleashing his left-footer which was saved