By Nodley Wright, Staff Reporter
Waterhouse defender Noel Edwards (shirtless) smiles while being congratulated by his teammates after scoring the final penalty to give his team a 4-3 win over Tivoli Gardens and a place in the Jackie Bell Knock Out Final at the Tony Spaulding Sports Complex last night. - Michael Sloley /Freelance Photographer
WATERHOUSE AND Arnett Gardens last night advanced to the final of the Kingston and St. Andrew Football Association (KSAFA) Jackie Bell Knock Out competition in contrasting fashions at the Tony Spaulding Sport Complex.
It took penalties to give Waterhouse a 4-3 victory over Tivoli Gardens while Arnett Gardens blanked Harbour View 3-0 courtesy of strikes from Denton Shedden in the 16th minute, Jermaine Benjamin in the 33rd minute and substitute Alberto Fray in the 89th.
Captain Irvino English, Weston Forrest, Michael Thompson and Noel Edwards scored for Waterhouse from the spot while Steve Green, David Lalor and Edsel Scott converted for Tivoli.
In the opening encounter, Waterhouse's goalkeeper Loxley Reid showed his shot-stopping ability once more as he proved to be the difference between Waterhouse and Tivoli Gardens advancing to the final. It took 14 penalties to separate the teams after a 0-0 scoreline at the end of full and extra times.
The solidly-built man, who stands well over six feet tall, saved three penalties in the shootout to give Waterhouse the penalty win over Tivoli Gardens. He saved efforts from Layton Barrett, Kasai Hinds and Roland Dean while Raymond Smith missed.
With Tivoli Gardens' goalkeeper Edsel Scott scoring his teams fifth penalty and saving the Waterhouse's fifth from Damion Powell, Reid regained his composure to pull off two saves in succession. The first from Hinds and the second from Roland Dean. Noel Edwards scored the final goal for his team after Roberto Fletcher had skied his.
Tivoli Gardens coach Geoffrey Maxwell blasted his team after the game.
"They are a bunch of jokers. That is how I see this Tivoli team," Maxwell said.
The brunt of his anger was directed at national representatives Hinds and Dean whose efforts were saved.
"They have got to wake up. We have national players missing penalties out there in Kasai Hinds and Roland Dean. Are they really national player?" he questioned before answering himself, "a bunch of jokers".
Winning coach Calvert Fitzgerald said he was confident of a win as long as the game went to penalties.
"We knew that if it came down to penalties we were supposed to win because we have Loxley Reid who is an excellent penalty stopper and we have excellent dead ball kickers at Waterhouse," said Fitzgerald.
"During Mr. Maxwell's interview he said that the only way we could beat him was by using the dead ball. We did exactly what he said and finished the game in the dead ball situation," Fitzgerald said.
The feature game between Arnett Gardens and Harbour View was more of a spectator's delight - especially for the home team's supporters.
They witnessed good free-flowing football and good passing from Harbour View while Arnett Gardens showed what they had lacked in the second round of the National Premier League - goalscoring apetite.
Shedden and Benjamin took advantage of delightful passes from Walter Boyd while Fray was set up by Jonothan Williams.
