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MoBay United nets last-minute winner
October 01, 2024
DeAndre Brown's last-minute winner helped Montego Bay United FC rebound from last week's defeat to Harbour View FC, lifting them to to a 1-0 victory over Chapelton Maroons at Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex on Monday. The club was registering their second win in three Jamaica Premier League (JPL) football games.
MoBay created a number of good chances over the two halves, but forwards Brian Brown, Deverow McKenzie and Shaniel Thomas lacked a proper finishing touch on the night to capitalise.
However, MoBay United's Argentine coach Zapata introduced 19 year-old Brown, who said he went out to make a change, and it was his individual brilliance that made the difference.
"When I was warming up, I was thinking about going on and making a change. I went out, got the opportunity and took it," he said.
"I saw the one-on-one, and I have been training whole week to cut in and kick. So, when I saw it, I just took the chance," Brown commented.
He added that, apart from giving him more confidence, he expects the goal will afford him more game time.
"This will boost my confidence. For the first two games, I didn't play, so when I saw that I came on and made the change, I know that, the next match, I can get a next opportunity to show what I can do to Jamaica," he stated.
Zapata said he kept telling Brown to be ready for his chance, and knew his skills could have made a difference.
"I spoke to him every day. I tell him, your opportunity will come, so you have to be ready. You have to work hard and be disciplined and, when the opportunity arise, you need to show it," he said.
"I told him before he went inside the pitch that this is your day. I told him in the last quarter you are going to go in one on one, and he did it. Now it's to keep working and focus on his career," Zapata said.
It was a controlled display from the St James club, with Thomas, Brown and McKenzie all coming close to scoring in the first half.
They continued to have the better after the break, but also continued to miss the target.
However, from the moment DeAndre Brown took the field, he was causing problems down the left for the Clarendon side, and, in the last minute of regulation time, he turned Gawain Austin, the mainstay of the Chapelton defence, inside out before shooting between his legs and into the near post, despite a strong hand from goalkeeper William Ferreira.
"We were solid defensively throughout the game," said Chapelton Maroons' coach O'Neil 'Bigga' Thompson. "But I think we shut off a little, trying to get the win. So we have to learn from that and go back to the training ground.
"It's not nice to lose, whether it's the first or last minute. But it's a part of the game. We will make mistakes, but we have to accept that and move on."
