Eltham High pulled off an unattractive but vital 1-0 victory over Bridgeport High in their group two rescheduled second-round ISSA/Pepsi/Digicel Manning Cup match at the Spanish Town Prison Oval yesterday.

The result has thrown the group wide open as both Eltham and Bridgeport now have three points, while group leaders Waterford have six going into the final round of matches.

Eltham's Stephen Williams was the standout player in the game and it therefore came as no surprise when he scored the winner in the 20th minute. Williams got his head to a Damarley Dawkins corner after outjumping his marker and from close range headed powerfully past the helpless Bridgeport keeper, Robert Johnson. Williams had earlier struck the right angle of the Bridgeport goal with a thunderous free kick from 36 yards out.

The second half saw Bridgeport looking more threatening, thanks in part to Eltham's defensive mindset. Bridgeport came closest to scoring in the 64th minute when Jamiel Hardware threaded through a beautiful pass to Adoah Nikle, who dummied the ball allowing Darren Mattoks to run on to it in the six-yard box. The Eltham's keeper, Reshawn Dunn, however, went full stretch to his right to push his effort wide.

Bridgeport's coach, Anthony Patrick, believes his team never came to play and was going through the motion.

Eltham coach pleased

"Everything went wrong, Eltham came to play and we didn't so Eltham came out on top," Patrick said. "The team is going through the motions at the moment, nothing I could do so I just left them to play what they wanted to play," he added.

Gregory Allen, coach of Eltham, was very pleased with his team's performance.

"Today was a do-or-die situation for us, we knew we had to come here and work for the victory and the guys did just that," Allen said. "On Monday we are facing Norman Manley, and again for us to stay in the competition we have to win," he added.