Defending d’Cup champs start with aplomb

DEFENDING CHAMPIONS Garvey Maceo kicked off their daCosta Cup campaign in fine style with a commanding 3-0 victory over Foga Road in their opening Group C encounter at Stadium East yesterday.

The Clarendon powerhouses were led by a brace from Daniel Scott, who struck in the first and 23rd minutes, while Rajay McLaughlin sealed the win with a close-range finish in the 65th.

Scott gave Garvey Maceo a dream start when he rose inside the box to head home a pinpoint cross from Javian Foster. The speedy forward then doubled his tally with a clinical 20-yard strike that whistled past goalkeeper Nathaniel Walker.

Garvey Maceo dominated the first half, dictating play with swift passing and composed ball movement, while Foga Road struggled to mount any meaningful attacks. Despite their dominance, however, wasteful finishing kept the score at 2-0 heading into the break.

The defending champions eventually added a third when McLaughlin arrived at the near post to tap in a cross from Davis, completing a comfortable win.

Head coach Lester Hibbert expressed satisfaction with the result but acknowledged that improvements will be needed as the season progresses.

“We couldn’t have asked for anything better because, to start off the first game of the season with three goals and three points is great for us,” Hibbert said.

“There is a lot more work to be done because, as you progress in the competition and you play different teams, the stakes are going to be high. So what we have to do now is go back as a team and do our homework from this game.”

Despite being the defending champions, Hibbert insisted that there is no pressure on his players.

“There’s no pressure on them to defend this title, because they are boys, and all I ask from them is to come out and do their best for us and let’s just get the results that are needed,” he added.

Foga Road’s head coach, Jason Clowson, admitted his team was punished for their lapses, but believes they can recover quickly.

“It is a good game from us, but we played in patches and we made a few errors, and so they scored three goals on us. We just have to pick ourselves up and move forward from this game,” Clowson said.