Norman Manley's Courtney Williams (right) is being challenged for possession of the ball by Holy Trinity's Lemar Clarke at Tinson Pen yesterday. The match ended 0-0. - Ian AllenNORMAN MANLEY dominated the entire 90 minutes of play against Holy Trinity but could only take a point from their Manning Cup home game, after ending 0-0 draw at Tinson Pen.
The stalemate was Norman Manley's second in three games and pushed them to five points in Group D, the same as Clan Carthy who lost 0-1 to Donald Quarrie.
Holy Trinity who remain winless after two games, are on two points, after a scoreless draw with Jonathan Grant in their opening game last Saturday.
"We are not sharp enough," lamented Alrick Clarke, coach of Norman Manley.
"We started our training late and it is showing. The coordination is not yet there but we will get better very soon. Today we had to play a number of our reserves because we have quite a few people injured" he added.
Oscar Wright, coach of Holy Trinity was very disappointed with his team's play.
"I was not very happy with how the team played. We did some unnecessary things with the ball and we allowed Norman Manley to do what they wanted with the ball. We relaxed a bit too much and that could have cost us had it not been for our goalkeeper who was outstanding," added Wright.
It was Holy Trinity who got the first real opportunity to score in the 10th minute of play when a corner taken from the right by Jermaine Parker was powerfully headed onto the crossbar by Hughall Lawson.
Norman Manley who were having more possession of the ball, were denied what looked like a certain goal by the brilliance of Holy Trinity's goalkeeper Mitchard Barrett, who dived full stretch to his left to save a powerfully struck shot from Alroy Nicholson.
Another rare attack from Holy Trinity should have ended in a goal but Phillip Petgrave kicked wide of the right upright with only the keeper alone to beat from inside the box.
At the start of the second half, Norman Manley continued to dominate the proceedings until defender Damion Ellington was given marching orders committing his second bookable offence.
Thereafter the Maxfield Avenue team played cautiously but managed one last real effort in the dying moments of the game when substitute George McCarthy 25-yard drive rocketed unto the crossbar and had to be scurried away by the Holy Trinity defenders.
