Charlie Smith's Damion Ford, left, dribbles away from Kingston Technical's Rohan Walters during their Pepsi/Sports Plus Group E Manning Cup game at Tony Spaulding Sports Complex yesterday. Charlie Smith won 6-0. - Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer HIGH-SCORING Charlie Smith went on the rampage in the second half, scoring five times to register a thumping six-love victory over Kingston Technical High (KTHS) in their Pepsi/Sports Plus Group E Manning Cup game yesterday.
Keno Gordon (48th, 74th) led the scoring at Tony Spaulding Sports Complex with a double while four players converted one goal apiece - captain Kimarley Campbell who started the rout at the 20th, Joseph Smikle (51st), and substitutes Kemol Hayden (86th) and Andre Powell (90th).
This is the second consecutive big win for Charlie Smith following an 11-0 thrashing of Jose Marti last Monday.
The year-to-year contenders with five squaddies from last year but only one in their starting unit - their skipper - had started their campaign slowly with a 1-1 draw against St. Andrew Technical (STATHS) followed by a 0-1 loss to Dunoon Technical.
"We've made a lot of adjustments," coach Jerome Waite said of factors continuing to their improved form. "Some of the players who we were expecting to step up did not do that. We've had to resort to the younger players and since then it has made a difference."
Though the winners showed a greater affinity for attack and got a goal, the teams were even but made numerous unforced passing errors to turn over the ball in midfield, which produced a low standard first half.
Kingston Technical hit the bar once when captain Delawno McLean spanked a free-kick from 25 yards but both teams each got four good chances to score.
Charlie Smith, however, always looked more capable of scoring and after starting the second half right with a quick double inside the first six minutes, they hit the fight out of the more aggressive Kingston Technical unit and effectively killedoff the game as a contest.
The win lifted the Arnett Gardens school to the top of their zone on seven points, the same number as STATHS which has played one game less and also has an inferior goal difference. Dunoon follow with four points from two games after a surprise 2-2 draw with Jose Marti yesterday.
Kingston Technical meanwhile stayed in the cellar position without a point after losing for the second time in as many starts, having been beaten 4-1 by STATHS in their opening match, while Jose Marti, with a group-high concession of 14 goals, is second with the point taken off Dunoon.
"Poor defending," was coach Oswald Kerr's explanation for KTHS' battering. "We weren't marking the forwards, the defence is really letting us down.
"We're taking too long to come out of defence so they leave a gap between the link and defence and the man them get the ball all the while," added the dread-locked veteran coach of his team comprising one player from last season.
RESULTS
Charlie Smith 6 KTHS 0
Dunoon 2 Jose Marti 2
Norman Manley 4 Calabar 1
St. Catherine 1 St.G.C. 1
Camperdown 4 Campion 0
Ascot 2 Holy Trinity 2
Audley Boyd
