Paul-Andre Walker, Staff Reporter
CONSTANT SPRING gave themselves all the chances in the world of winning the Alliance Investment Management Ltd/Kingston and St. Andrew Football Association (KSAFA) Under-20 title after a gutsy 1-0 semi-final win over Harbour View at Tony Spaulding Sports Complex yesterday.
Constant Spring, starting as underdogs, got a brilliant start when Kemarsue Jones, shot them ahead in the 12th minute, a goal which in the end set up a date in the final with Waterhouse.
Truth be told, Harbour View were punished for starting the game too flat.
Constant Spring were first to every ball and turned 60-40 situations into 50-50 ones.
The 12th minute moment of doom for Harbour View came on a counter-attacking move that was so direct that a goal was the strangest outcome.
At left-back Andre Lynehping picked up a ball and made a 45-yard pass straight down the heart of the Harbour View defence.
Nobody reacted to the aerial ball except Jones, who put the ball down and stabbed home past a fast approaching Ryan Thompson, who unlike his central defenders was only too aware of the imminent danger.
PACE AND DRIVE
With Constant Spring leading 1-0, the sentiment on the lips of everyone was how long could they sustain the kind of pace and drive that pushed them ever so slightly in front of the three-time champions and last season's beaten-finalists.
Spring did slow down, but they managed to stay ahead of the young 'Stars of the East', despite conceding much of the possession.
With all that, Harbour View did get their chances to get back into the game as Anthony Christie, Nicholas Forbes and substitute Jermaine Gardner all received clear chances.
Gardner was put through on goal by a give-and-go with Adman Christian but his tame shot was easily parried by goalkeeper Damion Hyatt.
Christie failed to control a ball that was hit directly to him from midfield. Had the former Under-17 national managed what seemed a simple feat for a player of his calibre, he would have been all alone at the top of the 18-yard box with the 'keeper to beat.
After the game Harbour View coach Ludlow Bernard, while disappointed with the result, praised his team for getting this far.
"This season was definitely to develop a team and so I don't have a problem. They've achieved in terms of where they have gotten. The game itself was difficult but overall I'm satisfied with what we got this season," said Bernard.
Constant Spring coach Everald Campbell thanked his players for showing guts.
"We had to fight hard and dig in with everything we had. The strategy today was to put people behind the ball and strike Harbour View on the counter and the players did everything that was asked of them," he said.
