- Norman Grindley/Staff Photographer
Bridgeport's Garfield Sutherland (right) moves away from Charlie Smith's Kenroy Hayden during their Pepsi/Sports Plus Manning Cup football match at Ferdie Neita Park yesterday. Bridgeport blanked Charlie 3-0.
Charmaine Austin, Staff Reporter
BRIDGEPORT High and Excelsior High scored impressive wins yesterday at Ferdie Neita Park to set up a big clash for Manning Cup second round Group 3 honours next week.
Former champions Bridgeport outclassed many-time title-holders Charlie Smith 3-0 in the feature while Excelsior stopped Wolmer's 1-0 in the opener.
Omar Campbell, Andrew Dryden and Dean Thompson scored for Bridgeport with goals in the 33rd, 70th and 78th minutes respectively.
Narado Brown scored for Excelsior in the 24th minute. Both teams are on six points.
Meanwhile in a Group 2 match at Campion College, Dunoon Technical and Tivoli Comprehensive played to a 1-1 draw.
The result pushed Dunoon to the top of the group with four points from two games. With just one point from two matches, yesterday's result left Tivoli with little hope of advancing to the semi-final round.
Dunoon gained the lead in the 10th minute courtesy of a brilliant 30-yard volley from Sanjay Christie.
Tivoli pushed hard for the equaliser after the break and were rewarded in the 54th minute when Durant Garrison scored.
Said Bridgeport's coach Anthony Patrick, "our intention is to continue winning. This game (yesterday's) we played for 90 minutes and in the previous one we played for only 70 so that means we have stepped up our performance tremendously.
"The players' level of concentration was very high and we need to maintain this same kind of focus because we intend to get to where we worked hard to be."
Excelsior's Leebert Halliman echoed similar sentiments.
They meet on Wednesday. While the match is a must win for Excelsior, Bridgeport only need a draw to qualify.
Wolmer's meanwhile, left the venue injured in more ways than one after the team's leading scorer Jermaine Gordon collided with an opposing player and broke his right hand close to the end of the game. He was taken to the Kingston Public Hospital and later released with his hand in a cast.
