KC’s captain dreamt of scoring winning goal

Kingston College’s (KC) captain Kamaul Patterson dreamed of scoring the winning goal in the ISSA Walker Cup final, told his teammates about it the night before, and then turned that dream into reality on Friday at Stadium East.

Patterson’s 61st-minute strike completed KC’s comeback from a goal down to beat Mona High 2-1 and reclaim the Walker Cup title for the first time since 2016.

Amid his team’s celebrations, Patterson revealed that he had dreamed the previous night that he would score the decisive goal in the final.

“I told everybody that last night I had a dream that I scored a winning goal, and I told my teammates I’m going to score a winning goal, and I did, so I feel great,” Patterson said.

The victory was particularly significant for the KC captain, who helped bring the trophy back to North Street after a long wait.

Patterson said it was a special feeling to win the Walker Cup title and even more meaningful to do so as team captain.

He said it was a reward for the hard work put in during the pre-season and brought a difficult campaign to a fitting close.

For his efforts, Patterson was also named man of the match.

“It feels great to know that we have won the Walker Cup this season,” he said.

“It was a hard pre-season, and we came out here, and we stuck to the coach’s plan and brought back the trophy to North Street.”

ROUTE TO THE FINAL

KC opened their Walker Cup campaign with a 3-0 win over St Mary’s College in round one before getting past fierce rivals Calabar High by an identical scoreline.

The boys from North Street needed penalties to get the better of STATHS in the quarter-finals before pulling off a dramatic 2-1 victory over reigning Manning Cup champions Excelsior in the semi-finals.

With the Walker Cup title now secured, KC will shift their focus to the Manning Cup, where they currently sit atop Group C in the second round with a perfect record.

However, Patterson said the Walker Cup triumph would not add to their confidence heading into the Manning Cup, noting the differences between the two competitions.

“I don’t think it gives any added confidence because the Walker Cup is a knockout competition and the Manning Cup isn’t. We have paved the road to the final, and it’s been a hard road,” he explained.

“I feel like now we just celebrate and go again to the training ground and come next week for the Manning Cup.”

Patterson echoed the sentiments of head coach Jermaine Miller, who said success in the Walker Cup would not guarantee success in the Manning Cup.

Miller said the differing nature of the competitions meant the team would approach each challenge with a different mindset.

However, he is confident his players can push on and challenge for Manning Cup honours as well.

“To be a champion, you have to be consistent, and the Manning Cup is much, much different from the Walker Cup,” Miller said.

“In the Manning Cup, you have to be consistent over a longer period of time while in the Walker Cup, you just have to get the job done by whatever means.”

KC’s next match will be against North Street rivals St George’s College at Stadium East on Wednesday.

gregory.bryce@gleanerjm.com