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Digicel Nationwide Schools Football Competition… St. Ignatius crush Sand Creek to setup mouthwatering clash against Annai tomorrow
Part of the action in the Region 9 playoffs between St. Ignatius and Sand Creek at the St. Ignatius Community Centre ground.
By Rawle Welch in Region 9
Hosts St. Ignatius moved into the final of the Region 9 playoffs after inflicting a crushing 7-0 win over Sand Creek as play in the Digicel Nationwide Schools Football Competition continued yesterday, at the St. Ignatius Community Centre ground.
Watched by a fair-sized crowd that shouted vociferously for the home side, St. Ignatius were led to victory through a treble each from Gary James, who netted in the 19th, 47th and 90th minutes and Brandon Parks in the 22nd, 65th and 77th minutes.
Orlando Francis completed the rout with a solitary strike in the 62nd minute of play which allowed them to set up a date with reigning regional champions Annai tomorrow at the same venue.
The two teams seemed eventually matched for the opening quarter of an hour, before St. Ignatius begun to shake off the little nervousness, perhaps due to the pressure of playing at home. They wasted two solid chances to take the lead, with Parks and James spraying wide of the uprights from close range. However, the fleet-footed James broke the stalemate when he ran on to a cross from the left flank that had initially produced a fumble from the goalkeeper to bundle in.
Three minutes later, it was Parks turn as he raced on to a through ball and was left one on one with the goalkeeper, who happened to bring him down with a fierce tackle that forced the referee to award a penalty.
Parks gathered himself and took the spot kick, placing it low to the right of the keeper and into the back of the net for a 2-0 lead that stood until the half.
Coming out of the break, St, Ignatius picked up where they left off and stretched their advantage two minutes later when James dispossessed a defender, who was casually walking the ball in the goal area and beat the keeper with a stinging shot.
Francis then came into the act when he dribbled past two defenders, before hitting a left-footer out of the reach of the advancing goalkeeper into the far corner to make it 4-0. Not wanting to be outdone, Parks then delivered a diving header from a cross from the left side that sailed over the keeper’s head only to race into the goal by the St. Ignatius’ talisman.
They were not finished and both Parks and then James completed their hat-tricks to send an ominous warning to the backline of nemesis Annai who they face for the regional tile in front of what is anticipated to be a large and raucous crowd on a holiday.
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