NAIN, St Elizabeth – Nursing a sore ankle as he was, Travar McCulloch may well have expected to watch the entire game from the bench.

However, the slim-built midfielder, wearing the number seven shirt, was destined to become the hero for St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS).

He joined the action in the 61st minute to convert a penalty and give his team a priceless 1-0 win over Munro College in their Inter-secondary Schools Sports Associaition (ISSA)/Flow daCosta Cup game at the Alpart Sports Club on Saturday.

The victory eased nerves for four-time daCosta Cup champions STETHS, who are off to an unusually slow start to the schoolboy football season with drawn results against Maggotty High and Lacovia High.

For Munro — forced to play just over half an hour with 10 men after Nicholas Collins was ejected — the loss was like a dagger to the heart. The former many-time schoolboy champions, who last held the daCosta Cup in the 1960s, now have just one point from three games.

Before a good crowd on a hard, dusty, patchy field, hit hard by a long, savage drought, STETHS dominated the first half and could easily have been ahead by two or three clear goals at the half-time whistle.

The most glaring missed opportunity for STETHS came in the 19th minute when Javoney Brown, sent clean through on goal, was brought down in the penalty box. However, Dwayne Foster watched in dismay as his low shot from the penalty spot was well saved by Munro’s custodian Onandi McKenzie diving to his right.

Munro, spurred by second-half substitute Carlos Polomares, proved more dangerous in the second half. They came desperately close when Polomares’s powerful right-footed shot rammed the crossbar for the STETHS defence to eventually clear their lines and set up the winning goal on a rapid counter.

Shawn Genus’s diving header seemed destined for goal, but Munro’s defender Collins went full stretch to slap the ball away with his right hand. The inevitable red card reduced Munro to 10 men for the last 29 minutes of the game, plus time added.

McCulloch, greeted by a grand ovation from STETHS supporters as he came on to replace Genus, then strolled to the penalty spot to calmly slot home.

Both teams came close to scoring thereafter. Ten-man Munro seemed certain to convert from a melee in the dying minutes, but the determined STETHS defence cleared their lines.

Munro’s Polomares and Alex Preciado of California, USA, who have been dubbed ‘Mexicans’ by St Elizabeth football crowds, drew critical attention last Saturday. Both showed good technical skills and tactical awareness, but like everyone else on the field, they struggled to cope with rock-hard and bumpy underfoot conditions.

Ironically, Munro are being forced to play their home games at Alpart because their own field at Potsdam, Malvern, is being rehabilitated.

STETHS Coach Omar Wedderburn said the three points came as a big relief. “It’s long overdue, but I realised in the team meeting last night (Friday night) that the players were relaxed and showed no signs of nerves, so I knew we would win,” he said.

Wedderburn said the second penalty call provided the perfect opportunity to introduce McCulloch, who he knew would deliver despite the “knock” on his ankle.

Munro’s Coach Keveral Stewart, who had a stirring talk with his team at game’s end, said he was sure his team would bounce back from their poor start to reach the next round of the competition.

“I have every confidence in this team. We have good ball players and we will get it right,” he said.