Spot Valley through to Inter-zone
SPOT VALLEY, St James — Spot Valley High School created a first for themselves last weekend when they qualified for the Inter-zone round of the ISSA/Pepsi/Digicel daCosta Cup schoolboys’ football competition after finishing second in Zone A behind St James High School.
Spot Valley High with first year coach Preston Bernard finished on 17 points, three more than Cornwall College and Muschett High who both ended with 14 points and will take their places among the ‘big boys’ for the first time.
They confirmed their place in the top 24 on Saturday after a hard fought 3-2 win over William Knibb Memorial in Martha Brae, Trelawny, thanks to a last-minute penalty conversion by Jamaal Haye.
After surviving a spirited William Knibb attack in the first half, Spot Valley went ahead through Oneil Gibbs but goals from Dwayne Shirley and Oneil Seivwright gave the home team the lead mid way the half.
Tyshan Hill tied up the scores at 2-2 and Haye’s penalty secured the full points for Spot Valley.
A draw would still see them through after Cornwall College and Muschett, their main threats for a place in the next round also drew 1-1 in Wakefield.
The win finished off a four-game unbeaten run to end the preliminary rounds as Spot Valley earned 10 points from three wins and a draw while scoring 11 goals and conceding seven.
In contrast Cornwall College failed to win any of their last four games, drawing two while conceding seven goals and scoring four.
Muschett was equally inept with three points over the period, scoring five goals and conceding seven.
Things will only get more difficult however as Spot Valley who are in their third season of daCosta Cup football has been paired off against Rusea’s High, Browns Town and St Mary Technical in Group One of the Inter-zone round that starts on November 3.
In two previous seasons, Spot Valley finished last on both occasions, scoring four points with no wins in 2008 but improving in 2009 to score two wins, 1-0 against Herbert Morrison and Green Pond High in the first round as they finished on seven points.
