‘Great feeling’
Cavalier’s head coach Speid delighted to be crowned national football champions again
AFTER WAITING 30 years to win their second Jamaica Premier League (JPL) title in 2021, it took the Rudolph Speid-coached Cavalier just three seasons to claim their third title following a 4-3 penalty shoot-out win over defending champions Mount Pleasant at the National Stadium last night. The teams played to a 1-1 draw over regulation and extra-time.
Devonte Campbell fired Mount Pleasant into a 65-th minute lead, but Richard King levelled the score two minutes later.
However, when regulation and extra-time failed to separate the teams, Cavalier goalkeeper Vino Barclett denied Ladale Richie and Hutchinson to see his team across the line.
“We gave as good as we got and we probably should have scored more goals earlier,” said Cavalier coach Rudolph Speid.
“But that is a nature of the game. Once we went behind, we replied. But penalties are a part of the game, so we had to be good at that, too.”
Nevertheless, Speid admitted it was a delight to be crowned national football champions again.
“It’s a great feeling. Almost 99 per cent of the punters wrote us off. Mount Pleasant are a juggernaut, but we showed no fear. We battled them all over the pitch and got a lot of chances.
“Last year, we started (final) with about four teenagers. This year, we are older and wiser and more mature and we knew it would be a different game,” he said.
Cavalier started the brighter of the two teams and were first to threaten, but Shaquan Davis pulled off a stunning save to deny Jalmaro Calvin in the fifth minute.
Calvin had another great opportunity minutes later but could not beat Davis with his shot from an angle.
Mount Pleasant responded with a freekick in the 20th minute, but Barclett was alert to the danger and parried away the shot.
After the interval, Kimonie Bailey had the first real chance for Mount Pleasant but he blasted over from just inside the area, with the goal at his mercy.
However, semi-final two goal hero, Campbell gave Mount Pleasant the go-ahead goal when he latched on to a pass on top of the area and slotted the ball past Barclett in goal.
But Cavalier responded almost immediately with a header from a corner, which gave Davis no chance.
Dwayne Atkinson then came close to putting Cavalier ahead but his freekick just missed the upright in the 79th minute.
In stoppage time, Sue-Lae McCalla had a low shot that just missed the upright.
However, neither team really looked like winning it in extra-time and the dreaded penalty shoot-out was required to separate the teams at the end, with Cavalier proving more clinical from the spot.
“Very disappointed,” said Mount Pleasant coach Theodore Whitmore. “But I am very pleased with the team’s performance and the season. Unfortunately tonight we came up short but such is life.”