- RICARDO MAKYN/Staff Photographer
Harbour View's goalscorer, Jomo Gordon, prepares to control the ball while Waterhouse's Roger Rodney (left) looks on during the first Wray and Nephew National Premier League End-of-Round final at the National Stadium yesterday. Harbour View won 1-0.
LeVaughn Flynn, Staff Reporter
HARBOUR VIEW'S super substitute Jomo Gordon rescued his team from the jaws of uncertainty with a crunch time goal for the second time.
Gordon's 85th-minute goal against Waterhouse in yesterday's End-of-First-Round final at the National Stadium broke the 0-0 deadlock and Waterhouse's heart, pretty much the same way he did Tivoli Gardens on December 15 when he scored in time-added to crown Harbour View Caribbean Club Championship king with a 2-1 win.
ALMOST SPEECHLESS
Gordon was almost speechless after the game as he absorbed the adoration from fans and teammates. "Anybody off the team can give you a match-winner, it's just blessings from God (that it was me)," he said.
Gordon found himself about 30 yards out with two defenders seemingly daring him to shoot. He calmly collected himself and hit a well-paced low-drive to the far right corner of goalkeeper Demetrio Brown.
"I realised that the defenders backed off me and I got space and I just shoot," he said.
Harbour View's coach Donovan Hayles commented that the improvement in Gordon's scoring ability became evident in the Caribbean Club Championships where he finished as the tournament's leading goal scorer with 12.
Hayles added that he analysed the differences between when Gordon started and when he did not during the Club Championships and noted that he had better results when he came off the bench, and decided to keep it that way.
"I'm not only looking for players that can start and deliver; I'm also looking for players who can come from the bench and deliver," Hayles stated.
"Football is not only about the 11 players that start the game, it's also about who can come on and make a difference."
As for Jomo, he knows his club has only cleared one hurdle in their path and remains confident he will continue to play a crucial role in his team's goal of winning the National Premier League. "I think it's my time. I've been training hard since the beginning of the year. Whether I'm on the bench or on the field, I've been training hard."
