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 My Site News: Tivoli squeeze past Bull Bay |
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Sunday, December 19
Tivoli squeeze past Bull Bay
DEFENDING CHAMPIONS Tivoli Gardens yesterday qualified for the semi-finals of the KSAFA/Western Union Jackie-Bell Knockout competition but only just as they were made to work hard by Bull Bay in their 2-1 win at Bull Pen.
Playing without key players in Fabian Davis, Roland Dean and Lenworth Hyde Jnr., the reigning Wray and Nephew National Premier League winners nonetheless fielded a potent line-up.
In fact, only Rollin Francis and Fabian Malcolm who started yesterday are not regular fixtures in the Tivoli side. They had Kasai Hinds, Orane Simpson, Christopher Jackson, Victor Thompson, Waheem Walker, Denroy Gordon, Marvin Morgan and Markino Gillings on the pitch when the game started and later summoned Cristopher Nicholas in the second half to bolster their strike force.
SOGGY OUTFIELD
Despite this plethora of Tivoli talent on show, the west Kingston side was unable to get the better of Bull Bay on a soggy outfield caused by a 15-minute downpour at the start of the game. They had to wait 37 minutes to break the 0-0 deadlock when Morgan buried a rebound past goalkeeper Wayne Roberts after the goalie failed to hold on to a powerfully-hit Malcolm shot.
Bull Bay came close to cancelling out Morgan's effort soon after but Asa McIntosh was off target on two occasions just before the halftime break, hitting wide once and then allowed a Tivoli defender to recover and take ball off his foot, dead in front of the goal.
However, McIntosh made amends in the 59th minute by driving past Tivoli's 'goalie' Phillmore Crumbie, after being fed a beauty of a cross from Dellon Wilson. Wilson had got the ball from substitute Leon Small who robbed Simpson down the left flank and played off in front him to set up the goal that brought Bull Bay level.
ADDED STEAM
The goal brought with it added steam from the 'Bulls' who were threatening to take off Tivoli's stripes. Crumbie was called upon to make two good saves after shots from McIntosh. Tivoli also had a big scare when Thompson brought down Michael Lewis on his way to goal, but luckily for them, the infringement took place just outside the penalty box in the 78th minute.
Almost immediately after Bull Bay failed to capitalise on the freekick, Gillings pushed Tivoli into the lead once more, burying a grounder on the turn past Roberts, who himself had effected some good saves in the games.
Bull Bay pressed hard for the equaliser once more but when substitute Jermaine Edwards hit high, following Crumbie's failure to hold on to a powerful drive from Mahlon Sullivan, it signalled the last hurrah for the rural St. Andrew side and a step closer to the Jackie-Bell crown for Tivoli Gardens.
Bull Bay's player/coach Bar-rington Gaynor, who had an outstanding game as sweeper for his side, said his team's failure to convert its chances cost it the game.
"I thought we were unlucky. We got at least four opportunities in the first half and three or four good oppportunites in the second half which we should have put away. When you are playing against the Premier League champions, if you don't score your opportunities you will lose down the home stretch," Gaynor said.
"There is a little disappointment there. We hope we could have made it to the semi-finals but that is how it goes. We now have to look forward to next year and the Super League," he said.
LACK OF MOTIVATION
Meanwhile, Glendon 'Admiral' Bailey, coach of Tivoli Gardens, said a lack of motivation to play lowly Bull Bay and Wednesday's CFU Club championship loss to Harbour View might have worked against his team.
"When you just come back from a game you didn't want to lose and you end up losing, the guys took a little time to come into there own ... This is how it goes some of the times," he said.
"Most times, when you play against lower teams than yourselves, there is no motivation to play and that is a form of indiscipline and unprofessionalism on the part of the players.
"I think that is what happened today but we pulled through at the end like true champions. We came out victorious and that is what matters," Bailey said.
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