By Nodley Wright, Staff Reporter
Hue...played well for H. View
DEFENDING champions Harbour View and Rivoli advanced to the final of the Jamaica National Federation Cup Knock out football competition yesterday with identical 2-1 wins over the much fancied Tivoli Gardens and Central Link respectively.
Both teams also achieved their victories in identical fashion - coming from a goal down in the double-header played at the Spanish Town Prison Oval.
For the Tivoli camp the loss was particularly disappointing as they were riding an eight-game unbeaten streak and were favoured to get the better of Harbour View, a team they have beaten more than once this season.
"We gave away two easy goals as far as I am concerned. I am left here perplexed as to what exactly happened," Tivoli coach Dave Clarke said.
"(But) that is a part of the game. Sometimes you win sometimes you lose," he added.
"We should not have lost that game. The harder part of that game was in the first half when we had the better of play, playing against the breeze and we managed to score a goal."
Tivoli Gardens started out the stronger of the two teams as they took the action to their more defensive-minded opponents. Harbour View chose to hit back on the counter amnd created a number of chances through Mark Miller and Garfield Rennicks seemed to be in no mood to take them.
It came as no suprise when Tivoli Gardens took the lead in the 42nd minute through the combative Dwayne Richards. Richards was fed by strike partner Christopher Nicholas who stepped inside his challenger just outside the 18-yard box.
Richards flicked the ball around Baris Johnson with his left left foot. With his back to goal, he turned and fired a left-footer past Leeroy Gray who got one hand to the ball but could not keep it out.
The second half was a different picture as Harbour View led by Jermaine Hue and Kahreem Cooke took the attack to Tivoli Gardens who never got their energy back up. Seven minutes into the half, Hue with a perfectly weighted pass, beat the off-side trap to set up Rennicks.
Thinking he was offside Rennicks peered at the referee before heading goalwards and wasting his opportunity. Immediatiely after, Tivoli Gardens countered through Richards but he too hesitated and had his shot blocked.
In the 64th minute, Hue was tripped up foolishly by Craig Whyte to the left of the 18-yard box. Hue rolled the ball to Cooke whose solid effort was blocked by Edsel Scott. Donald Stewart followed up and rolled it across the goal for Rennicks to turn home amidst protests of off-side by Tivoli Gardens.
Seven minutes later Harbour View went ahead through Johnson. The goal resulted from a beautiful build up including Hue, Cooke, Donald Stewart, Johnson who fed Rennicks down the right flank. Johnson followed the play and squeezed in Rennicks' return pass past Scott.
Tivoli Gardens had an opportunity through Kasai Hinds to level the score in the 77th minute but he volleyed wide with just Gray to beat.
"Even though they were leading us in the first half we were still confident because I think they had more of the possession of the ball but we created more chances," Harbour View coach Peter Cargill said after the game.
"I thought that things would have continued in that way with us getting our chances and and we did. In the second half we had a lot more possession and we created chances so I think we deserved the win," he concluded.
In the second game, Rivoli went behind through a classy strike from Central Link captain Derrick Planter. The wiry player blasted a freekick just above the wall and past a helpless Allien Whittaker in goal.
Ten minutes later they were back on level terms through Patrick Beech who capitalised on an uncharacteristic error by goalkeeper Dennis Clayton. Clayton would be the star of the game as he kept Rivoli out time and time again with excellent saves.
Two minutes before half time Central Link went down to 10 men when Damion Drummond was ejected for a horrible challenge on Wade Nelson. The one man difference hardly seemed to affect Central Link as they gave as good as they got from Rivoli and at times threatened to take the game away from the.
They held off Rivoli until the 76th minute when substitute Marvin Henry scored a wonderful goal from about 40 yards. His strike touched nothing until it his the back of the net and rolled down to the bottom of the goal after sailing over the head of Clayton.
