MONTEGO BAY, St James

Pastor Hugh Solomon, the coach who led the St James High School to its first-ever ISSA Ben Francis Knockout title over Dinthill Technical High with a 4-0 hammering in last Saturday’s final at Jarrett Park, says staying on when the chips were down last year was one of the best decisions he has ever made.

“I’m extremely glad I stayed… it certainly paid off,” he told the Observer West.

Solomon who pastors the Church of Christ on Queen Street in Montego Bay, almost left the team last November following an embarrassing brawl that broke out on the field at Jarrett Park between his players and the Rusea’s daCosta Cup team.

The brawl, which brought the game to a premature end, was particularly distressing for Solomon, who had been keen to have the players exhibit good sportmanship regardless of the game’s outcome.

He was prevailed upon to reconsider however and stayed on for a second year to etch his place in football history last Saturday as the coach of the fifth western Jamaica school to take the major title.

Previously coach of Division One and Two football clubs in the parish as well as Uptown Flames, King Street United and Broadway United, the 30-odd year-old Solomon, who has spent most of his life involved with football, intends to continue his stint with St James High as long as they’ll have him.

He said that given the hype that had surrounded the Dinthill team, he was surprised at how easily his team took Saturday’s game, which saw two second-half goals from Allan Ottey and goals from Ricardo Morris and Nicholi Barrett.

Saturday’s victory has put St James High in a class with Cornwall College, Rusea’s High, Herbert Morrison and Frome Technical, the western schools that have won the 26-year-old competition.

Cornwall leads the way with seven holds, the most by any school; Rusea’s follows with four wins, Herbert Morrison Technical twice and Frome Technical and now St James, once.

Dinthill had been labelled favourites by sections of the media after their systematic dismantling of the highly-touted Old Harbour High in the semi-final last Wednesday at Prison Oval.

But on Saturday, St James dominated the game from the start and except for occasional counter-attacks, kept Dinthill under pressure, forcing them back in their own half.

Morris’ opening goal was from the top shelf as he rammed a long-range shot from outside the area past the left hand of goalkeeper Trodis Berry and into the net in the 39th minute.

Barrett scored from a one-time left footer in the 55th minute while Ottey finished off the job with goals in the 76th and 92nd minutes.

St James who won Zone A in the ISSA/Pepsi/Digicel daCosta Cup, faced Frome in their opening Inter-zone game played at Frome yesterday.