CARLINGTON WILMOT/FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER
Calabar's captain, Robert Palmer, holds up the Manning Cup as he and his teammates celebrate their title success at the National Stadium yesterday. Calabar defeated Norman Manley 2-1 to win their third crown and first in 28 years.Anthony Foster, Freelance Writer
CALABAR ARE the 2005 ISSA/Pepsi/Jamaica National (JN) Manning Cup champions after scoring a thrilling 2-1 win over Norman Manley at the National Stadium yesterday.
Ramone Palmer and Conroy Cunningham scored in the 44th and 62nd minutes respectively to hand the Red Hills Road-based school its third hold on the most prestigious urban schoolboy title. They had previously won in 1943 and 1977.
Norman Bailey scored Norman Manley's in the third minute.
However, after Bailey's header, which was created from a right-sided cross, Norman Manley went on the defensive, thus allowing Calabar, spearhead by Cleyon Brown, to take over with several dangerous crosses from the right.
Norman Manley's coach, Alrick Clarke, who was losing for the first time in four final appearances, admitted the defensive mode cost them the game.
BOYS SAT BACK
"The boys sat back ... that is the real reason why we lost the game today," Clarke said.
Norman Manley, winners of the Manning Cup in 1996, 2000 and 2002, came close to scoring again on counter attacks, but Calabar's defence, led by the impressive Oneil Wilson in goal, kept them at bay.
Midway through the first half, Calabar took charge and started to dictate the play, but Norman Manley's back line also stood firm.
During this period, which saw several crosses coming in off the boots of Brown, Calabar were all over Norman Manley's defence.
However, in the 44th minute a cross from Brown met the head of Palmer, who made no mistake, thus seeing his team to the break at 1-1.
MORE AGGRESSIVE
Upon resumption, Calabar came out and looked the more aggressive of the sides and within three minutes got two good shots on goal, one which Kandre Brown had to clear off the line.
'Rabalac', as they are popularly called these days, received a boost when Norman Manley's Yanick Wray picked up a second yellow card for a crude tackle in the 55th minute.
While Brown created all the crosses in the first half from the right, the play switched to the left and Lennox Creary in the second.
It was all Creary for most of the second half and, after several threatening moves and crosses down the left, one finally found the head of Cunningham who headed on to the crossbar. The ball then rebounded on to a defender and rolled into the net.
Up to the final whistle, both teams created a lot of scoring opportunities but while Calabar players were the culprits of poor shooting, Norman Manley were denied by very good goalkeeping from Wilson.
Winning coach David Hunt praised his team's fighting spirit after the final.
"We knew they were a defensive team, but my players were committed," he said.
He said he wasn't concerned when Norman Manley scored early because: "I knew we would always comeback ... this team is a well-prepared team."
Clarke said: "Today is really not our day ... the boys tried, but all credit to Calabar they came out fighting and they stuck to their task."
STATHS and St. Catherine shared third place with a 2-2 draw after full and extra time. Troy Clue and Wayne Williams scored for STATHS while Reynolds Grant and Chevanne Blake netted for St. Catherine.
