MANNING Cup champions Jamaica College (JC) will take a 1-0 lead into Saturday’s all-island Olivier Shield second leg following Ashani Walker’s 11th-minute penalty over 10-man Rusea’s High in the first leg at Constant Spring yesterday.

The Alfred Henry-coached Dark Blues dominated the early part of the game and were awarded the spot kick when Shamal Thomas’ goal-bound strike hit the hand of a Rusea’s defender, which resulted in the penalty.

Walker calmly converted the 12-yard kick to give his side the go-ahead goal.

The diminutive Walker continued to look the most dangerous player for the Old Hope Road school afterwards, but he wasted a number of chances to add to the lead.

His best chance came after 25 minutes when he dragged his shot just wide of the upright with goalkeeper Lamoy Graham helpless.

Theo Campbell also came close for the winners, but good pressure from the Rusea’s defence forced him to drive his effort wide.

The visitors came into their own late in the first period, and their best chance fell to Miguel Jones, whose header from a corner was blocked by Gary Whynter before being cleared.

JC started the second half very positively and had a good effort from Campbell, whose tame shot failed to trouble Graham after he stole possession on the edge of the area.

Minutes later, Nicholas had an acrobatic effort on target but Graham reacted sharpely to save.

However, from thereon it was all Rusea’s as the visitors pushed their oppoenents on the back-foot. The daCosta Cup winners had a glorious opportunity to tie the score in the 65th minute, when Anthony Walker was hacked down inside the area after Jones had stolen possession and passed to the striker, who had Whynter at his mercy.

However, the team’s leading goalscorer Brian Brown fired the penalty kick over the crossbar, much to the dismay of the majority of travelling Rusea’s supporters inside the Constant Spring venue.

Some 10 minutes later, Anthony Walker missed another great chance to level the score for the ‘Russians’, but after racing onto a precise ball over the top of the JC defence from Nicolie Haughton, the stocky forward lifted the ball over the advancing Whynter, only to see his effort hit the post and rebound into play.

As the Rural Area winners hunted the equaliser, Junnell McDonald squandered another great chance in the final minute when he volley wide from inside the six-yard box.

Rusea’s coach Anthony Williams said based on what he had seen, he is confident Rusea’s can overturn the deficit in the second leg at Jarrett Park.

“We thought it was going to be tough coming to Kingston, but after waching the game, I’m not too concerned,” he said.

“The first 45 minutes we shut off a bit… but in the second half we were more dominant. We missed a penalty and got other chances that on a given day we would have put away,” he added.

JC’s team manager Ian Forbes said his team will travel to Montego Bay with the mentality that the game is still scoreless.

“We’re very grateful for this result and we will go down there positively,” he said.

“We expect it to be a tough game, but the boys are well prepared by Coach Henry and they have a lot of guts and determination… as far as we are concerned, the score is zero-zero,” he reiterated.