Campion on cusp of breaking 30-year wait

by

October 13, 2022

Photo

Kai Myles (left) of Campion College chases Cumberland High’s Antwan Patterson during their ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup match at Campion College yesterday. Campion won 4-0.

Campion College are a step closer to qualifying for the ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup second round for the first time in nearly 30 years after defeating Cumberland High 4-0 at Campion College yesterday.

Goals from Kai Myles, Djaz Less, Bryan Mayhew, and Shandon McFarlane carried Campion to their fourth win in eight matches. They have also remained unbeaten.

Assistant coach Ashton Blankson said it was a competent performance and a good result for them.

"We are just taking it game by game. We are happy for this win. We are second in the group, and we should stay second, but we are glad for another solid performance from the players," he said.

The win puts Campion on 19 points, four behind Group E leaders Excelsior, who had a 2-0 win over Clan Carthy. Campion need one point against Kingston Technical on Saturday to secure a second-round berth.

Blankson insists they will not be getting ahead of themselves.

"We are taking it one game at a time. We play KT in our next game, and we expect another solid performance," he said.

The game was barely a minute old when a Cumberland defender was called for a hand ball inside the area, and Myles put away the spot kick for the opening goal.

The hosts continued to dominate and in the 18th minute, Less added a second. Mayhew would add a third in the 28th through an excellent solo effort, going by three Cumberland defenders in a dribble that spanned the opposition's half.

After the break, Cumberland showed some resilience and even had a shot that hit the bar, but six minutes after the interval, McFarlane turned home a low cross from six yards to seal the win for Campion.

Cumberland coach Glenford Whyte said he had numerous injuries that depleted his squad, however, noted that Jonathan Whyte, who suffered a head collision with Campion's Brandon Mohammed and had to be taken to hospital, was recovering well and would be all right.

"He is conscious, but because it is a head injury they are not taking any chances. I spoke with him, and they are just observing him to make sure he is okay. So he should be okay," he commented.

In the group's other game, Kingston Technical leapfrogged Jose Marti into third on 14 points with a 1-0 win, which slipped the latter into fourth on 11 points. They are followed by Cumberland with four and Clan Carthy at the bottom with three.

livingston.scott@gleanerjm.com