Paul-Andre Walker, Staff Reporter
All-daCosta player, Josimar Crooks, controls the ball ahead of his Trinidadian marker during the second leg of the Jamaica/Trinidad and Tobago Friendship Trophy at Brancourt, Clarendon, yesterday. The all-daCosta team won the game 3-1 to take the tie 6-2 on aggregate. - IAN ALLEN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
JAMAICA RETAINED the Jamaica/Trinidad and Tobago Friendship Trophy after the All-daCosta team repeated their All-Manning counterparts' 3-1 victory over the Trinidad All-Schools side at Brancourt, Clarendon yesterday.
The result meant that the Jamaicans kept the trophy after notching up a 6-2 aggregate win.
The Jamaicans were gifted by a 10th minute defensive error that allowed Manning's Draion McNane to get on to the scoresheet.
Just as they did in the first leg, the visitors showed resilience and got back into the game in the 18th minute as Silas Span, who had tormented his markers on a number of occasions, slotted home a peach of a goal in a first half that otherwise left something to be desired.
It wasn't until the second half that the difference between the teams became discernible with Carnell Learmond coming to the fore to serve up a brace for the home team.
His first came by way of a 55th minute penalty that he drove home ferociously to the admiration of a crowd that had no confidence in his ability to put away the spot kick.
Glenmuir's Learmond was again on the scoresheet in the 64th minute when he found himself on the end of some beautiful play between substitutes James Thomas and Kieron Smith. Learmond finished in classic strikers fashion to put the game out of the reach of the Trinidadians.
While happy for the victory, All-daCosta coach Carl 'Long Life' Palmer felt the necessity to explain his team's poor first-half play.
LACK OF QUICK GELING
"The players couldn't gel together quickly. We could see Trinidad's equaliser coming. We weren't co-ordinating well at the back. Each person was trying to sweep the team. I spoke to the boys at halftime and it became a little bit tighter in defence, but we won the game 3-1," Palmer said.
Trinidad and Tobago's coach, Glenford Thomas, wasn't pleased with his team's performance.
"On Tuesday I didn't mind losing too much because Jamaica played much better. Today, I think the Jamaicans capitalised on our blunders. I think our goalkeeper made two vital mistakes. I think the Trinidad and Tobago team today could have come away with a draw if they had done the right things," said Thomas.
