Veteran ‘Pepe’ marshalls Olympic Gardens to Major League final
Veteran World Cup defender Ian “Pepe” Goodison rolled back the years to emerge with the headlines after putting on a stellar performance to lead Olympic Gardens FC to an upset win over Liguanea United FC in the first semi-final of the Magnum’ KSAFA Major League football competition at Constant Spring complex on Saturday night.
David Mclean was the man who scored the all-important goal for Olympic Gardens FC, netting in the 50th minute for the 1-0 win.
The match was the first of a double-header, and in the second game, Molynes United dispatched Meadforest FC 3-1 in the first Magnum/jn KSAFA Super League semi-final.
Ryan Brown led the demolition for Molynes United by scoring at the eighth and 33rd minutes, while the team’s other regular scorer, Patrick Scheklude, netted the other goal at the 76th minute. Omar Edwards scored the lone goal for Meadforest FC, which made a decent run after being promoted from the Major League last season.
In spite of all the goals and Meadforest FC’S decent run in the premier Corporate Area, football championship, Goodison, at 44 years old, was the man getting all the plaudits for the way he marshalled his troops from the central midfield position to get the better of the highly-thought-of Liguanea FC, which seemed destined to claim one of the two spots up for promotion to the Super League, by sealing a spot in the final.
It was at the very Olympic Gardens FC – whose home ground is across the street from his home on Cling Cling Avenue - when he was playing in this same KSAFA Major League competition, where Goodison came to national prominence in the mid-1990s. Then, he gained selection to Rene Simoes’ history-making Reggae Boyz squad and became the core of the backline that went on to secure qualification to FIFA’S Men’s World Cup for the very first time by a senior Jamaica team.
Though the stakes are not as high, Goodison’s leadership has influenced qualification again —this time to next season’s Magnum/jn KSAFA Super League and, just as important, next Friday’s Magnum KSAFA/MAJOR League final.
Their opponent will be known on Sunday, when Seaview Gardens tackle New Kingston FC in the opening game of a double-header at 6:00 p.m.
The feature game brings together Super League teams Barbican FC, the defending champions, and Real Mona FC, at 8:30 p.m. These teams finished one-two in Zone A of the preliminaries and went on to brush aside their quarter-final opponents.
Both have what may be considered the most experienced units in the competition and Barbican, still the only unbeaten team this outing, will start marginal favourites.
Real Mona FC, coached by David Laylor, have in their line-up former Tivoli Gardens midfielder Jamoy Sibbles, Ryan Reid and quarter-final goalscorers Kemmoy Phillips and Jordan Moses.
Barbican, on the other hand, will look to Andrew Mcleod, Andrew Christie, Maurice Wilson, Tajahe Dixon and Keamar Thomas, among others, to lead their charge.
In two meetings this season, Barbican came out victorious by 1-0 and 2-0 margins. However, Chris James, Barbican’s head coach, is taking nothing for granted.