Newlands, Meadows advance to Confed final
SPANISH TOWN, St Catherine — Newlands FC and Meadows FC will contest the final of the South Central Confederation Super League after victories over Naggo Head and Tru-Juice, respectively, in the semi-finals at the Prison Oval on Sunday.
In the first game of the double-header, Meadows needed a penalty in the 101st minute of extra-time from Dane Planter to beat Tru-juice 1-0 for their first final berth.
The Christopher Russell-conditioned team will now attempt the mammoth task of winning the league as a debutant with an unbeaten record.
In the late kick-off, Newlands pulled off a mild upset over former champions Naggo Head, stopping them 3-1 with goals from Linton Lambert, Shannon Walker and Christopher Harris.
Lambert shot Newlands into the lead after just four minutes, before Jerome Wedderburn restored parity with a goal in the 14th minute for Naggo Head.
However, three minutes later, Walker restored Newlands one-goal advantage, while Harris added the knockout punch with a goal in the 54th minute.
The two teams will now meet in the final set for Saturday at the same venue, where the victors will join Cavalier SC (KSAFA), Reno FC (Western Confederation) and the winner of the Eastern Confederation, in the four-team Jamaica Football Federation National Premier League play-offs for the two available slots in next season’s Digicel Premier League.