Manning’s make statement with Black River mauling
After tripping up at the last hurdle last year and losing in the final, Manning’s School’s Head Coach Everton Tomlinson says winning the ISSA/WATA daCosta Cup will be the only satisfying outcome this season.
“Our expectation is we want to win. We wanted to win last year as well, and nothing less than a win would be satisfying,” Tomlinson told the Jamaica Observer after crushing an injury-hit Black River High 6-0 in their Zone D game played at Manning’s School yesterday, for back-to-back big wins.
Jhamaleek Porter scored four times to lead Manning’s School after they had opened the season with a 5-1 win over Grange Hill High on Saturday.
Porter scored in the 17th, 56th, 65th and 78th minutes as Dainton Williams added one in the 59th minute and Shamar Hamilton in the 85th minute.
Former champions Dinthill Technical were also back-to-back winners yesterday, outscoring Charlemont High in their top-of-the-table Zone K clash; Morant Bay High blanked Seaforth High 3-0 in their Zone L meeting between teams that won their opening games, and St Mary Technical edged St Mary High 1-0 in Zone J.
Cardiff McKenzie also scored four goals to lead Titchfield High to a 5-0 win over Fair Prospect.
At Manning’s, the home team started slowly for the second game and led Black River 1-0 at half-time, and Tomlinson said that while last season was “different” in that it was a shortened version, “this year we are back to the usual season and the plan is to stay unbeaten through the first round and then step up in the next rounds”, pointing out that he had not played his best team yet.
The back-to-back big wins, he said, were “progress, part of our plan. We wanted a very good win, especially on home soil and I guess the opposition was not that strong, but we displayed quality football in the second half and getting more than one scorers is very good”.
Vayden Hayle, the Black River head coach, rued a rash of injuries during the game, which he said wrecked his team’s plans.
“We had injuries,” he said, adding that Manning’s are a “very good team”.
“Our centre back had to come off in the first half and the player who went on for him also got injured and had to be replaced as well. Only one of my substitutions was not forced by injuries,” he added.
Yesterday’s ISSA/WATA daCosta Cup results
Zone D
Manning’s School 6, Black River 0
Zone G
Alphansus Davis High 1, Mile Gully High 0
Zone H
Lennon High 4, Thompson Town 0
Edwin Allen High 4, Kellits High 0
Zone I
Oracabessa High 2, Marcus Garvey High 0
Zone J
Annotto Bay High 0, Horace Clarke High 1
Wycliffe Martin High 2, Tacky High 2
St Mary Tech 1, St Mary High 0
Zone K
Dinthill Tech 4, Charlemont High 3
Zone L
St Thomas Tech 2, Paul Bogle High 3
Yallahs High 5, Robert Lightbourne High 0
Morant Bay High 3, Seaforth High 0
Zone M
Tacius Golding High 1, Old Harbour 3
Zone N
Winston Jones High 0, Vere Technical 9
Zone O
Happy Grove 1, Port Antonio 1
Fair Prospect 0, Titchfield 5