Relegated Lime Hall hit for six by Humble Lion
HAVING ALREADY been relegated, Lime Hall Academy slumped to their seventh loss in a row in the Wray & Nephew-sponsored Jamaica Premier League (JPL) when they were slammed 6-0 by Humble Lion at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex yesterday.
A first-half hat trick from man of the match Cleo Clarke and second-half strikes from Andre Clennon, Tajay McCarthy and Chandol Anderson proved to be too much for Lime Hall to handle as Humble Lion ran rampant.
Humble Lion head coach Linval Wilson said he was pleased with his team’s performance and believes this is the first step towards a title challenge for next season.
“Well, we’re in a journey. We’re in a building process and I have to give credit to the coaches that were here before. They’ve harnessed a lot of young quality players and that’s what we really need at Humble Lion. Come next season, I think we’ll be competing for the title,” Wilson said.
Clarke opened the scoring in the 28th minute when he used his turn of pace to get by the Lime Hall defence and slotted home between the legs of the onrushing goalkeeper.
Clarke was on a roll in the first half and got his brace in the 43rd minute. He was in the right place at the right time to pick up on a loose pass in the Lime Hall penalty area to fire home and double the lead.
He completed his hat trick just a few minutes later. Clarke received the ball on top of the box, and with little pressure from the defence, found the back of the net as his shot went beneath the outstretched hands of the goalkeeper.
Clennon made it four just past the hour mark as Humble Lion piled on the goals. Clennon raced into the box and got by his marker to tap into an empty net from close range. The goal would be his final contribution of the match as he was substituted just seconds later.
Substitute McCarthy scored his first of the night and the game’s fifth following a poor defensive display from a downtrodden Lime Hall unit. McCarthy got the better of his marker and made no mistake from inside the box.
Anderson made it six when his thunderous effort found the roof of the net just two minutes from the final whistle.
Lime Hall’s woes were on the full display as a depleted bench forced assistant coach Oshane Allen to don the match kit and come into the field of play as a late secondhalf substitute.
Allen said the team will be seeking to finish the season as strong as possible despite already being relegated. Despite the loss, he was happy to make his debut as a player in the JPL.
“We end up on the losing battle again, so we have to just take it as it is,” he said. “For my first game in the Premier League, I was so elated to come on the pitch because I’ve always dreamed about this game.”
The win sees Humble Lion moving up to the tenth in the league standings with 25 points. Lime Hall stay rooted at the foot of the table with eight points from their 24 games played this season.