Champions Clarendon College edge Denbigh in d’Cup opener
CATHERINE HALL, St James — Despite Clarendon College holding off a gallant Denbigh High 2-1 at Montego Bay Sports Complex on Saturday to start the defence of their ISSA/Wata daCosta Cup title, both coaches were pleased with their team’s performances.
Clarendon College extended their perfect winning record in the first round with first-half goals from Justin Hayles and Terron Williams, while Denbigh High pulled one back from the penalty spot when Teyo Cross scored in the 68th minute.
“We had a very good performance. Good, good performance; three good points,” Clarendon’s Lenworth Hyde told the Jamaica Observer. “We possessed the ball a lot today — I think we made about 300-400 passes — but we have to work more in front of the goal.”
Hyde said he was pleased with what he saw from his team in their first game of the season but also believes there will be improvements as the season progresses.
“I love the first game, let us get that out of the way, and I think this team will grow in the league, you know. The more games we play, the better the chemistry will be,” Hyde shared.
Garfield Carney, who is in his second stint at Denbigh, was also encouraged by his team’s display.
“I’m very pleased with the boys. We lost the first half, and I told them at half-time that we’re not gonna lose the second half,” Carney said. “And I’m so proud of them with the effort, the work ethic that they came out there [with] in the second half and showed. I’m very proud of them today. We pulled back a goal, actually won the second half, so I’m proud of them — and it’s something we can build on going forward.”
Clarendon went into the lead early when Hayles beat Denbigh’s goalkeeper Kevin Pryce with a powerful shot from close range in the fourth minute.
Pryce was at fault for the second goal when he watched a corner from Williams nestle into the far-left corner of his goal in the 22nd minute.
Despite being down, Denbigh were not being outplayed, and they came back strong in the second half and were rewarded with a penalty when Rahjaun Cassanova was taken down in the box.
Pryce would also atone for his first-half mistake when he adjusted midway his dive in the 87th minute to knock down a ball headed for this open goal, to keep the game close to the end.