Robert Bailey, Staff Reporter

Calabar's captain and central defender Robert Palmer (left) challenges St. George's College's striker Kamal Malcolm for the ball during their JN/Pepsi/ISSA Manning Cup football match at Winchester Park, St. George's, on Saturday. Calabar won 2-0. - Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer

Defending champions Calabar registered a comfortable 2-0 victory over St. George's College in their ISSA/Pepsi/JN Manning Cup match at Emmet Park on Saturday.

Playing in front of a capacity crowd, Calabar came out firing on all cylinders and quickly went ahead in the 10th minute when Anthony Grant volleyed home a beautiful right-footed shot - which travelled like it came from a rocket launcher - past goalkeeper Jabari Wallace and into the back of the net.

A minute later Cleyon Smith doubled Calabar's lead with a well-taken free-kick, which beat Wallace diving to his left.

The win enabled the boys from Red Hills Road to take up joint leadership position on nine points with Jamaica College (JC), which had beaten them 0-1 in their previous match. Calabar, who were getting the better of St. George's for the second time this season, have played one more game than JC.

On Saturday, Calabar never seemed to be in trouble as they dominated the rest of the first half and should have scored more goals, moreso when Dwight Smith found himself unmarked inside the penalty box but headed just wide of the target.

Clear opportunities

Calabar picked up where they left off in the second stanza, but failed to capitalise on any of the clear opportunities they created against a very disorganised St. George's College unit. Ramone Palmer, Shane Bygrave and Keneil Hyde were all guilty of missing chances.

St. George's College's best chance came in the dying moments when Orville Anderson shot against the crossbar. David Hunt, coach of Calabar, was satisfied with his team's victory.

"It was almost a similar game to the first game when we defeated them 3-0 at Jarrett Park.

We really should have scored a lot more goals today (Saturday) but they defended well in the second half and nonetheless I am pleased with the result," he said.

Everald Campbell, coach of St. George's College, said he was very disappointed with his team's performance.

"It was a very tough loss. I think Calabar started well and got an early goal and that set us back for the rest of the first half," he observed.

"We came out in the second period and played in patches, but all we have to do now is regroup and make sure we win our other games," said Campbell, whose team stayed third on six points.

In another game on Saturday, Norman Manley slammed Edith Dalton James 4-1 in a Group B encounter.

Today's games

Group D

Tivoli

vs	Eltham
Camperdown	vs	Meadowbrook