Kwesi Mugisa, Staff Reporter
Village United's Lacon Brissett struggles to control the ball while being hassled by Waterhouse's Weston Forrest in the COK champions Cup semi-final at the Edward Seaga stadium yesterday. Waterhouse came from two goals down to win 4-2. - Ian Allen/Staff Photographer
Waterhouse and Tivoli Gardens will decide the COK Champions Cup KO title, as both recorded fairly impressive semi-final wins at the Edward Seaga Sports Complex yesterday evening.
In the feature game, homesters Tivoli hammered St James Super League team Granville 7-0. Jermaine Allen led the way with a four-timer, while Navion Boyd, Kevin Blackford and Roland Dean scored the other goals.
Waterhouse clawed their way back from the brink of elimination to stun Village 4-2 in the first semi-final game of the COK Champions cup at the Edward Seaga stadium yesterday.
Finding themselves two goals down at half-time, the Drewsland team came out to face the second-half whistle like a team possessed, and by the end of 90 minutes, the shell-shocked Trelwany team could only look on in dismay.
One foot
Devron Clarke tapped home a Lacon Brissett square to give Village the lead in the 12th minute. The Waterhouse backline were again found wanting when forward Omar Allen rose high to put away another Brissett cross in the 30th minute, leaving Village with one foot in the final.
Waterhouse, on the other hand, were struggling to find the back of the net as a 38th-minute chance for Kirk Ramsey and a 42nd-minute attempt by Jonathan Williams flew high over the cross bar.
Just minutes after being introduced in the second half, Vincent Earle put a stop to the wayward shooting as he blasted his 46th minute attempt from the edge of the 18-yard area, straight past Village United custodian Elvis Hart.
Caught napping three minutes later, the Village backline failed to pick up Williams in the area and after collecting a Ramsey flick on, despite the raised hands of the Village defenders as they appealed for offside, the wiry striker made no mistake, booting the ball into the back of the net from 10 yards away to equalise.
Touch passes
Delightful play from Waterhouse would put them ahead as a string of one-touch passes from midfield eventually reached the boot of striker Leon Strickland, who barged into the area before blasting past Hart in the 84th minute.
With dropped heads it was hard for Village to keep track of Strickland who broke away from the backline almost immediately after the restart and while striding to goal, rounded the keeper before firing into the net.
"The team just really lost focus here today, it was just disappointing," said Village coach Paul 'Tegat' Davis. "At half-time they had the lead but they were quarreling in the changing room and it really showed in the second half."
A contented Wayne Fairclough of Waterhouse was happy with his team's recovery operation.
"I think we wanted it more today. It was clear that Village came to win and we were caught in the first half," he said.
"We made our corrections in the second half, picked it up and we got the goals. Now that we are in the final, anything less than winning this title will be a disappointment," he added.
Vincent Earle 46th
Jonathan Williams 69th
Leon Strickland 84th, 85th
Devron Clarke 12th
Omar Allen 30th
