Nicholas Noyan of Bridgeport High School (left), comes under pressure from Spanish Town's Alton Brown during yesterday's historic Manning Cup final at Harbour View. Bridgeport rallied to snatch a sudden-death extra-time 2-1 victory. (Photo: John Nicholson)

NEWCOMERS, Bridgeport High School, yesterday became the newest Manning Cup champion when a Kemar Grant "golden goal" in the second period of "sudden death" extra-time hurled them past Spanish Town High 2-1 in the final at the Harbour View mini-stadium.

Unheralded in the competition's history, St Catherine's Bridgeport, in toppling their rivals who were at one stage seconds away from championship honours, became the first team outside Kingston's capital to win the coveted silverware.

Considered a Cinderella team a year ago, Bridgeport's gigantic feat topped off a fine season on the one hand, but dashed the hopes of their opponents, who entered the game as favourites.

Spanish Town, who brushed aside former champions, Charlie Smith, in the semifinal, will get a chance to redeem themselves in the Walker Cup Knock-out, which begins this week.

Having made their Manning Cup debut in 1995, Bridgeport were better known for their dominance in schoolgirls football.

But when Grant capitalised on a melee in front of goal and stamped the history books in the 119th minute yesterday, that image inevitably changed.

The strike, aided by Kemar Petrekin's individual flare, sent shock waves across the sunshine city and an invasion of the pitch, subsequently ending the aspirations of the team from the old capital.

"It's something special, something we have been working for all season. It's truly a horrendous recovery and now that we are champions words cannot describe the feeling," said coach Anthony Patrick.

Patrick, whose facial expressions said it all, told the Sunday Observer his team's miraculous comeback was one befitting of a true champion.

"We are going to be celebrating tonight this wonderful occasion. After getting past Jonathan Grant it was just a matter of putting the icing on the cake. We knew Spanish Town was a good team, but I directed my team and they did it," said Patrick who now eyes the all-island Olivier shield.

"We said what we were looking for on the 17th (the final) on the 17th and the 24th (Walker Cup final), we are halfway there," Patrick reiterated.

Both teams whose attacking approach opened the game, failed to come to grips with the occasion in the first half and bypassed midfield regularly, with faulty finishing being the order of the day.

When FIFA referee, Clive Wright, signalled to his assistant that three minutes of injury time remained, Bridgeport -- down 1-0 courtesy of a Valentine Gardener 47th-minute strike -- seemed out of it.

However, Oneil Thompson came to the rescue in the 90th minute with a gorgeous free kick.

The lanky midfielder, who along with the touted Petrekin and Dean Thompson failed to lift their game, riveted a 40-yard curler past Dermaine Foster, much to the dismay of Spanish Town, whose dream run came to a sudden halt.

"I can't believe it ... we were so close ... I don't know what to say ... we had the game in our hands. It's just that today was not to be our day," said a disappointed Anthony Thompson, coach of Spanish Town.

The first period of overtime came and went with the "Spaniards" going the closest through top players, Alton Brown and Gardener.

But with the prospects of penalty kicks looming and fatigue creeping in, Grant, a defender whose dexterity assisted in keeping his marauding opponents at bay, made Gibson Road this season's resting place for the 86 year-old emblem of Corporate Area schoolboy football supremacy.

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