Boys’ Town come out on top in 6-goal thriller
TWO goals each from Anthony Dawes and Dean Thompson carried Boys’ Town to a 4-2 victory over St Georges at Collie Smith Drive in yesterday’s first round of matches in the 2010-2011 Digicel Premier League season.
Captain Jermaine Taylor and substitute Shawn Hunter replied with two late consolations goals for the visitors.
Playing in front of a vibrant home crowd, Boys’ Town settled quicker on a surface which was made slippery due to a persistent late afternoon drizzle.
St Georges eventually came into their own but were rocked back in the 36th minute when Thompson reacted fastest to a loose ball in the box and struck a deflected effort beyond goalkeeper Randal Huie to put the Red Brigades one up.
Just six minutes later, wing back Dawes sent the supporters into a frenzy when he fired a left-footer from 30 yards out beyond a back-pedalling Huie for Boys’ Town’s second of the day.
With their confidence on a high, the homesters maintained their dominance and went further ahead 18 minutes into the second half when Marvin Morgan Jnr beat two defenders down the left flank before exchanging passes with Shane Edwards, before the ball was fed to Thompson to drill his shot below the advancing Huie.
The Portland-based team was spurred into action with the introduction of Hunter, who immediately added purpose to their attacks. In fact, had it not been for faulty finishing or telling saves from Boys’ Town custodian Kirk Porter, St Georges could have pulled back a goal or two.
Instead they went four goals down in the 82nd minute as Dawes’ crisply struck grasscutter from approximately 25 yards out, after he initiated a neat series of passes that involved Morgan Jnr and Renae Lloyd, left Huie bewildered.
In the 85th minute Taylor pulled back a goal for his team when his powerful deflected freekick sent Porter the wrong way. Three minutes later, Hunter made it 4-2 when he latched onto a quickly taken free kick to blast his left-footer off the inside of Porter’s near post.
Despite a nervous end to the game, the Brigades held on to kick-start the new season with full points.
In other early games, Portmore United clipped Reno FC 1-0 at Frome, while Village United and Arnett Gardens drew 2-2 at Elliston Wakeland Centre.
