- Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer
Calabar's Nakwayne Parchment (right) and St. George's Haldsine James vie for the ball during their ISSA Pepsi/Sports Plus Manning Cup game yesterday at Calabar. The home team won 1-0.
LeVaughn Flynn, Staff Reporter
CALABAR HIGH defeated visitors St. George's College 1-0 yesterday to earn a much-needed three points that pushed them from fourth to second place in Group D of the ISSA Pepsi/Sports Plus Manning Cup competition.
Despite conceding their first loss of the season, St. George's remain atop the group with 13 points and Calabar are on seven.
Nakwayne Parchment's goal in the 43rd minute earned Calabar the revenge victory as they were defeated 2-1 the last time the teams met.
Calabar went in hot pursuit of a goal at the sound of the whistle, testing St. George's goalie Howard Fisher's mettle. Fisher was worth his weight in gold up until the 43rd minute when Calabar counter-attacked on a bad clearance by St. George's and found the back of the net.
CELEBRATIONS
Parchment and his teammates celebrations in front of the St. George's bench was a stark image. Neville Bell's boys get into their half-time huddle. The talented pair of Dussen Palmer and Christopher Johnson were impressive in the second half, displaying touches rarely seen in schoolboy football.
In the final 20 minutes, St. George's went in desperate search of an equaliser by introducing some fresh legs. However, their best chance came when Johnson struck a powerful right-foot shot from distance which flew inches over the crossbar.
LOST BETWEEN DEFENDERS
Goals were nowhere to be found as striker Kevon McBean, who has scored five goals this season, was lost be-ween the defensive pair of Robert Palmer and Nicholas Gordon.
"The entire team de-fended, from the forwards going right back." said Calabar coach David Hunt.
"Calabar played well. They shut us down in the first half," admitted Bell.
"In the second half we played a better game. We did enough to get a goal but I think Calabar wanted it more than us today. We are ahead in the zone and they are way at the bottom and they needed to win and they did," he said.
YESTERDAY'S RESULTS
KC 1 G. Portmore 1; Calabar 1 St. George's 0; Camperdown 2 Tarrant 0; Penwood 0 Meadowbrook 0; Dunoon 2 Waterford 1; St. Catherine 3 Vauxhall 1; St. Jago 11 Denham Town 1.
