Kwesi Mugisa, Staff Reporter
ST. CATHERINE teams Bridgeport and Waterford got off to winning starts in the second round of the ISSA/ Pepsi/Digicel Manning Cup when they slipped by St. Andrew Technical (STATHS) and Eltham at the Spanish Town Prison Oval yesterday.
Waterford's top scorer, Mark Walters, netted twice to see his team through to a 2-1 victory over a determined Eltham, while an early goal from Bridgeport's top scorer, André Clennon, and a late penalty by Theo Brown, led them to a somewhat controversial 2-0 victory over STATHS.
Waterford dominated possession early but could not find the back of the net in the early going. Walters saw a 34th-minute effort cleared off the line by Eltham defender Dwayne Brown.
Half-time goal
However, the striker would not be denied on the stroke of half-time as he split the Eltham backline before firing past Eltham custodian Kelso Cousins.
Spirited Eltham levelled the equation when Shevon Brown broke free from Waterford's last defender and shot past Waterford goalkeeper Peter Harrison from a tough angle. The Eltham back line would however be caught napping once again, this time allowing Walters to slip by a stranded Cousins before putting the ball into the back of an empty net.
"We were unfortunate as the second goal was a comedy of errors but in the end they won and that is football," said Eltham assistant coach Glenville Homes.
"We have two games remaining, so we will have to give it our all," he said.
Hard work
In the second encounter, speedy Brown struck on the counter to give Bridgeport the early lead against a resilient STATHS. Brown was the beneficiary of the hard work of midfielder André Steele, who broke away from the back line and left STATHS' 'keeper Kenroy Coombs at the edge of the 18-yard area before rolling the ball into the path of Clennon.
STATHS will feel hard done by the fact that striker Akeem Simpson's 38th-minute sprint seemed to have been unfairly halted in the area by a Bridgeport defender; however, the referee waved play-on.
He did, however, point to the spot in the 90th minute, when Coombs left his line and seemed to take the ball cleanly away from an advancing Steele.
YESTERDAY'S RESULTS
Group One:
| Bridgeport | 2 | STATHS | 0 |
| Group Two: |
| Waterford | 2 | Eltham | 1 |
TODAY'S GAMES At Stadium East |
| Wolmer's | vs. | Jamaica College |
| | 1:30 p.m. | |
Excelsior | vs. | Camperdown |
| | 3:30 p.m.
|
