By Nodley Wright, Staff Reporter
Eugene Barnes (right) captain of Arnett Gardens collect the 2001-2002 Craven A National Premier League trophy from David Allan Magnus of of the Cigarette company of Jamaica while Jamaica Football Federation president Captain Horace Burrell applauds. Also looking on are other team members and Dr Omar Davies, chairman of the club. - Dennis Coke /Staff Photographer
RED ROSES should be blooming brightly today in Arnett Gardens.
The south-west St Andrew club took a historic double in local football yesterday copping the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) Under-21 title and the Craven A national Premier League.
In the under-21 game which served as the curtain-raiser a double strike from Leon Strickland and one each from Kierald McLeod and Kevin Samuels blighted Tivoli Gardens 4-0.
In the feature Arnett Gardens came from behind to beat Hazard 2-1. Roen Nelson opened the scoring after 17 seconds with a header only for captain Eugene Barnes to equalise for his team in the 76th minute. Walter Boyd put on the killer touch in the 90th minute.
Arnett Gardens took home the Craven A National Premier League trophy and $500,000 for their win while Hazard pocketed $275,000.00.
The game turned on the actions of the two captains, Claude Davis for Hazard and Barnes for Arnett Gardens. Claude Davis, acting like 'Captain Erroneous', made a foolish challenge on Arnett midfielder Jonathan Williams and was duly ejected in the 66th minute.
Ten minutes later, Barnes in his role as 'Captain Courageous' pushed up from his customary sweeper's position, despite the fact that he was nursing a hip injury, and levelled the score for his team. He, and probably Davis too, knew that Hazard would rue that indiscretion and they were up against it thereafter.
"Boy I had to show leadership on the field," said Barnes of his performance. "We had to come from behind and I saw that my forwards were not pushing forward so I pushed seeing that Hazard had one man less.
"I knew I was going to get a goal because I saw it. The ball that I kicked into the side-netting before, I should have dribbled a little bit more but that is how life goes and I knew I would get one," said Barnes who postponed an x-ray on an injured hip to play in the game.
It could have all been different however as Hazard shocked Arnett Gardens and proceeded to dictate the game. At times it appeared as if Arnett Gardens were being taught a lesson in football.
Christopher Dawes and company controlled the midfield and played the ball around with confidence while at the same time kept their shape. Cornel Chin-Sue was a force for Arnett Gardens in the middle but he lacked the support.
In attack Williams, who experienced some heavy challenges from Claude Davis and his team, looked ineffective and almost everything tried by Boyd and Wilson failed to come off.
Hazard had a number of long-range attempts at goal from Wolry Wolfe and Kendri Quarrie which were charged down. Daley could have put his team 2-0 up in the 28th minute when he went over a number of challenges and blasted just high from outside the box.
While they were outplayed, Arnett Gardens were never totally out of it. A drive by Gregory Messam on the stroke of half time was beaten away by the impressive Shawn Sawyers. In time added, he reacted quickly to snatch a ball at the feet of Boyd who failed to control a pass properly.
The second half took more or less the same pattern until Davis' indiscretion. The numerical advantage further tipped the scales in Arnett's favour and Wilson who looked a differnt man in the half combined well with substitutes Everton Bunsie who replaced Fabian Davis and Denton Shedden who went in for Messam.
All three would play a part in Barnes' equaliser. Wilson provided the final pass for Barnes to steer home at the far post in the six-yard box.
Hazard steadied themselves after a while and did attack on the counter. They could have pulled off victory in the 84th minute when Nelson with time to pick his spot fired a cracker of a rightfooter from about 22 yards. With goalkeeper Julian McLeish well-beaten, the ball struck the left upright and rebounded into play.
Luck was not on Hazard's side and Arnett did not need a second invitation to take the game. A Wilson corner was flicked on by Shedden and Boyd, who was mostly out of the game, applied the killer touch with the inside of the right boot.
Said Boyd after the game: "I am glad for the victory and happy to see that all of the work paid off. With all of the fans, I want to thank them for the support.
All the players fought hard and we have been through a lot. There were a lot of differences but we stuck together as a team and we have a lot of places to go if we stay together," he said.
Boyd added that even though he was hardly in the game, he knew that it was in him and the team to pull off the victory. "I was not really worried because of the hard work that we had put in. We knew it was there somewhere.
"It was just a matter of time and we knew that it would pay off. The red card... we thought that it made it easier for us. The team stuck in there and I got a nice flick on from Shedden and got an easy tap in at the far post," he said.
Hazard coach Lenworth Hyde had very little to say after the game but all the blame for the defeat was directed at referee Peter Prendergast who will create history by becoming the first Jamaican referee to officiate in the World Cup finals. The red card issued to Davis, Hyde felt was unfair.
"That is not a red card. The ref caused it. Prendy decided it," said Hyde.
Arnett Gardens' Jerome Waite felt that with both teams so evenly matched it was unforrtunate that one had to lose. He praised Hazard for their performance and lamented the early approach of his team.
