Police National's Marlon Jackson climbs on the shoulder of Meadhaven's David Reid to head the ball during the KSAFA Major League final at Harbour View Mini Stadium on Saturday. Police won 4-2 in a penalty shoot-out, as the teams finished regulation and extra time locked at 1-1. - NORMAN GRINDLEY/DEPUTY CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
'OPERATION KINGFISH' was the chant from the players of Police National after they were crowned KSAFA Major League champions, after beating Meadhaven 4-2 on penalties in Saturday's final at the Harbour View Mini Stadium.
Horace Hunt scored a beauty in the 74th minute as Police National eked out a 1-0 second leg win over a young Meadhaven team, which played with 10 men for over 70 minutes following David Reid's red card in the 48th minute.
With the two-leg tie level at 1-1, it was onto the dreaded penalty kicks and the sharp shooting lawmen triumphed.
The lawmen paraded a white jersey with a slogan
saying "Fight Against Crime" after their triumph and captain Lawrence O'Gilvie, explained.
"It simply means that the crime rate is at an intolerable level and we hope that everybody will come on board and support the police. We have to look at it theoretically. Crime is not a police thing, it's everybody's thing," he said.
WILD CELEBRATION
"We don't let boys get away, We don't lose shoot-out," boasted another police player as they jumped and pranced in wild celebration.
Winning coach Calvin Lewis said at half-time he told his players to continue passing the ball because it was working.
"We know that from the last game they are weak on the flanks, so we concentrated on both flanks. It worked in the first half so I told them to concentrate, the goals will come and we got the goal in the second half," confessed Lewis.
Meanwhile, losing coach David Hunt congratulated Police National although his team got opportunities to put the game away despite playing with 10.
"We train with 10 people sometimes so they are used to that. But we got the opportunities to convert.
"I think my players played pretty well and it came down to a penalty shoot-out but congrats again to Police. It was a tough game," said Hunt, who also lost the Manning Cup final with Calabar High.
H.Walker
