Sandals/ATL Senior League continues today
MONTEGO BAY, St James — With the four semi-finalists already known, two battles remain to be decided in the regular season of the St James Football Association — the final placing and the two teams to be relegated to the Division One next season.
Melbourne FC completed the semi-finals on Tuesday without kicking a ball after Norwood Strikers failed to show up with sufficient players at the Granville Community Centre for their third-round cross zone game.
The points took Melbourne FC to 26, and they cannot be passed by the other teams after Heights FC were beaten 6-0 by Faulkland FC — who won the regular season with 37 points — and Lilliput Rovers and Marl Road drew 1-1 at Bickersteth.
They join Faulkland FC, Catherine Hall and Tomorrow’s People.
At the other end of the table, three clubs — Violet Kickers, Mountain Villa and Norwood Strikers are trying to avoid the drop which would be the second straight for Violet Kickers after they were demoted from the Western Confederation Super League last season.
Today, Catherine Hall, who are in second place on 31 points, play Montego Bay United Under-21 at the UDC field. Tomorrow’s People, who are in third position, will be at home at the Bickersteth Community Centre against last -placed Violet Kickers who are on four points.
On Tuesday, Melbourne FC won their last game and scraped through to the semi-finals after a five-game winless run which almost knocked them out of contention.
At the UDC field, Hussana Johnson and Peter-Lee Vassell scored doubles for Faulkland FC who scored four times in a decisive 24-minute period in the second half.
Johnson got his first in the 21st minute to give Faulkland FC the lead and Vassell, a national Under-20 invitee, made it 2-0 in the 26th minute.
Johnson made it 3-0 in the 51st minute, and Vassell latched on to a rebound and hammered it into the goal in the 68th minute for 4-0, before Radcliff Dawkins and Jolani Nicholson scored within two minutes of each other to complete the rout.
At Bickersteth both teams had to win to keep their hopes alive but played out a draw that ended their hopes.
Owen Hacker gave the home team the lead after just seven minutes, but Jeremy Bucknor equalised in the 25th minute.