Ian Allen/Staff Photographer
Jonathan Grant's Rafe Wolfe (left) and Charlie Smith's Marcelino Blackburn fight for possession during the Pepsi-Sports Plus Manning Cup football game at Ferdie Neita Park yesterday. The game ended 1-1.THE PEPSI-SPORTS Plus Manning Cup football competition took another exciting turn yesterday when Excelsior who have managed to upset a few favourites knocked Charlie Smith from the top of Group three standings with a 3-0 victory over Camperdown.
Charlie Smith who drew 1-1 with Jonathan Grant yesterday now find themselves in a must-win situation when they meet Excelsior next Tuesday at Ferdie Neita Park to decide who advance from the group. Only the top team in the each of the three groups and the best second placed team will advance to the next round.
Looking nothing like they did in the first round of the competition Charlie Smith allowed Jonathan Grant to have the better of them particularly in the second half.
Coach Jerome Waite admitted that Charlie "did not play anything," blaming it on the unpredictability of youth.
"The team did not play up to standard today but schoolboys are unpredictable. One day they play well and the next day they're off. This is one of the off days.
Jonathan Grant meanwhile will not make it past the second round of the competition and although they know that, the team's morale has never been higher.
"We know we have nowhere going but playing against a team like Charlie Smith and coming out with a draw is a great achievement," said the team's coach Carrol Parkes.
Both teams scored from the penalty spot - Charlie through Rupert Murray in the 21st minute and Jonathan Grant through Rafe Wolfe in the 46th minute. Charlie's defence enjoyed most of yesterday's game but the attack was sharply brought into focus through indifferent playing. They, like their opponents, created numerous scoring chances through the likes of captain and leading goalscorer Marcelino Blackburn, Cheovar Walters, Kimarley Grange and Daniel Lee but finished poorly.
Rafe Wolfe and Hosaine Chambers outshone their team-mates in Jonathan Grant's intermittent attempts to sparkle. In yesterday's other game St Jago drew 2-2 with Wolmer's.
