- Rudolph BrownWaterhouse's Damion Powell (right) falling tries to turn the ball away from Olympic Gardens' Shakir Lawrence during Premier League action at Drewsland yesterday. Looking on is Powell's teammate Roberto Fletcher. Waterhouse won 6-o.
Nodley Wright, Staff Reporter
WATERHOUSE booked their National Premier League semi-final place in style with a 6-0 hammering of neighbours Olympic Gardens who were in the process relegated to next season's A League.
On a day when three teams were fighting for two semi-final places and two battling to avoid the drop, Waterhouse were most impressive. While Tivoli Gardens held on to a 0-0 draw against the relegated Seba United and Constant Spring went down 2-0 at home to Wadadah, Waterhouse were not making any mistakes.
As a result, Tivoli Gardens join Waterhouse to complete the semi-final line-up as Harbour View and Arnett Gardens had already qualified.
At Drewsland, Kevin Lamey with goals in ninth, 25th, 75th, 76th and 90th minutes and one strike from the busy Roberto Fletcher in the 53rd minute demolished their neighbours. It was almost a one-way street at Drewsland as Waterhouse made their intentions clear quite early that nothing less than a victory would do.
As early as the fifth minute, Jermaine Russell, who had a good game in midfield, could have handed Waterhouse the lead. Russell worked his way into the opposing team's box and waited for a pass but when no defender challenged him, he went for goal and had his shot strike the "v" at the left upright and the crossbar before rebounding into play.
Fletcher missed another chance before the man of the day, Lamey, opened the floodgates. Lamey ran on to a ball forced into his path by captain Irvino English, who ventured forward from his left back position, and blasted past Horace Jones. Other chances were to be created and missed before Lamey added a second with beautiful skill.
After slipping, Lamey sufficiently recovered his footing to flick a ball passed to him over the head of the advancing Charlton Clarke before sidefooting home on the volley.
Olympic Gardens had a rare opportunity on goal in the 33rd minute when Leo Haughton got the better of the Waterhouse defence to the right of the 18-yard box and crossed for Steve Lindo who headed high from close range. They would not get many more.
Waterhouse continued to create and miss chances until they showed good teamwork in the 53rd minute to work the ball from deep in their half into the Olympic Gardens' 18-yard box where Fletcher fired a one-time shot from a Russell cross to beat Jones at his near post.
Both teams soon made a number of changes with Waterhouse hoping to increase the margin of victory while Olympic Gardens tried to save face. It was the former which happened as Lamey would not be denied.
He wrapped it up with a cheeky play to beat Jones at his near post. Just a minute later, he collected a cross from substitute Alberto Fray on his chest and shot past Jones. Olympic Gardens suddenly got some form and fight as they tried to avoid a 6-0 beating.
Time added on would help to deny them as Lamey completed the six and his fifth, tapping home a low cross from Andre Hickling in the final minute of time added.
"I would like to congratulate the players because they have gone through (to the semi-finals) and I think they stuck to the task," winning coach Kenneth 'Bop' Campbell said at the end of the game. "This is not about any coach. It is about the players.
It is a players' semi-finals. I steered it but I believe the players had the grit because many people said Waterhouse could not reach the semi-finals but I was always confident because there is no coach without players and I just have to big up my Waterhouse players because they made all of this possible."
Olympic Gardens coach Glendon 'Admiral' Bailey questioned the desire of his players. "I do not think the players showed any character ... any guts and you cannot play at this level and do not show any form of character," said Bailey.
RESULTS
Waterhouse 6 Olympic Gardens 0
Seba 0 Tivoli Gardens 0
Constant Spring 0 Wadadah 2
