Charlie Smith cut down 10-man Norman Manley High 3-0 to register a very important victory at Constant Spring playing field on Thursday, as they hunt a place in the semi-final round of the ISSA/LIME Manning Cup schoolboy football competition.

Following an unproductive first half by a marauding Charlie Smith, the floodgates were opened soon after the resumption as Bebeto McDonald put the eventual winners ahead in minute 54. And to add insult to injury Norman Manley’s dangerous striker Shaquille Lewis was red-carded in minute 63 for his second bookable offence. The first came in minute 58.

With a man short, the plucky Norman Manley continued to soldier on but second-half substitute Kimani Orbourne stopped them dead in their tracks with a second goal in minute 77.

Five minutes later skipper Norval Christie vacated his defensive position to climb above the Norman Manley defence to connect at the end of a McDonald left-sided corner in minute 82 for a decisive three-goal victory.

The win carried Charlie Smith to join Innswood at the top of the group on four points each. However, Charlie Smith, by virtue of registering victory by three unanswered goals, lead the group standings with a three-goal advantage.

An upbeat Charlie Smith coach Jerome Waite said: “With one more game to go, taking three points against Norman Manley was an important step to reaching another Manning Cup semi-final.”

Norman Manley’s coach Paul Edwards said that after Thursday’s loss all that he was now looking forward to was a more productive 2015 with his band young players. “However, I thought we played pretty well in the first half, but fell away basically in the second which makes us basically out of contention as both Charlie and Innswood are on four points and the most we can accumulate from here on is three points.”