CATHERNE HALL, St James — Cornwall College were pushed to their limits and beyond in Wednesday’s Inter-Secondary Schools Association/Wata daCosta Cup semi-finals at the Montego Bay Sports Complex by an energised and well drilled Frome Technical team before getting by on penalty kicks and their Coach Dr Dean Weatherly is happy for the test.

After being held goalless for the first time in 47 games dating back to the 2016 season, Cornwall College booked their place in the December 1 final against Clarendon College with a 4-2 penalty kick win.

Cornwall College came into the game as the prohibitive favourite, on the back of an 18-game unbeaten run and with a big win over St George’s College in the semi-final of the ISSA Champions Cup five days earlier, but were made to work for everything they got.

“It was a very difficult game, honestly,” a relieved Weatherly told the Jamaica Observer after the game.

“I knew a game like this was coming but it was just when, and today [was] the day and we weathered the storm and at the end of the day victory was ours and that shows the mettle of these boys,” he added.

Frome Technical started well, and after stopping two good chances from Cornwall early, took over the game and kept the 12-time champions in their own half for the next 20 minutes.

“I expected Frome to come at us, and even though they had a break and time to prepare, we expected this and planned for it in training, so it was on the flip side we did not move the ball quickly enough and lacked pace,” the coach said.

Weatherly had praise for his goalkeeper Peter Sinclair who saved one of the kicks in the shoot-out and the defensive unit marshalled by Calvin Gardner.

“Our defensive unit stood up well, but it was the lack of conversion that let us down, had we converted our chances early it would have been a different game and I think that kept Frome in the game,” he noted.

Weatherly admitted that his players might have been distracted with the Champions Cup game against Jamaica College coming up on Saturday, but said: “It was good game to coach in, as it gave us a different look from the other teams and I am glad the boys did well as it showed their mettle. It shows this young team has hearts and guts they can get stuck in when it needs to be and have a never-say-die attitude and will not stop coming at you.”

Cornwall created several chances late in the game when the Frome team looked tired, the best falling to Matthew Thorpe who missed converting a cross from Aiden Jokomba, just a few short feet from an empty goal and Weatherly admitted the game would not be remembered for its beauty.

“With games like this at the semi-finals or final, it won’t be free flowing. It will be a match of wits with everyone grinding it out and putting in their all. It’s never about pretty football, it’s who wants it most,” he said.