Reggae Youths, Lilliput Rovers score wins in Sandals/ATL Senior League
MONTEGO BAY, St James — Reggae Youths, last season’s beaten finalists, and Lilliput Rovers opened the St James Football Association Sandals/ATL Senior League competition with wins, as the competition kicked off at Jarrett Park on Friday.
Reggae Youths beat promoted Marl Road 2-1 in the opening game before Lilliput Rovers blanked last season’s Division One champions Heights FC 2-0.
In another game, Fauklands FC beat Seaview FC 4-1 in their opening Sandals/ATL Division One game.
The season was originally set to kick off a week earlier, but there was a scheduling conflict with the venue which is owned by the St James Parish Council forced the Football Association to push their start back by a week.
All the goals were scored in the first half of both Senior League games played.
Jovian Bailey in the eighth minute and Santino Grinnion in the 38th minute scored for Reggae Youths, while Owen Hacker had tied up the scores in the 21st minute.
Both Reggae Youths’ goals were well executed with Bailey scoring from well outside the area with an acrobatic volley, while Grinnion’s winner was equally well taken from just on the edge of the 18-yard area.
In the second game, Chives Campbell netted in the 10th and 26th minutes for Lilliput Rovers, as they spoiled what was expected to be a good start for Heights FC, who had won back-to-back titles at the Division Two and Division One levels in successive seasons.
Meanwhile, it took Faulklands FC about 25 minutes to break down a dogged Seaview FC team in the Division One opener.
Odean Snow should have given Faulklands FC the lead in the 20th minute after he got around goalkeeper David Watson from about 30 yards out, and with the unprotected goal at his mercy Snow shot wide from the left as the ball trickled out of play for a throw.
Nolvado Christie and Santino Brown, however, spared Faulklands FC some blushes, as both scored two goals each to lead the Division Two runners-up to an eventual resounding win.
Trono Austin got a goal for Seaview, who were relegated from the Senior League last season.
