MONTEGO BAY, St James — If the Cornwall College pair of Jourdaine Fletcher and Peter-Lee Vassell seem to think as one on the field, it could be because they have been almost inseparable off the field for the past 10 or 11 years since they first entered Howard Cooke Primary in the first grade.

The two 18-year-olds, who were part of the National Under-20 team this year, describe their relationship as “closer than brothers” and have won at almost every level they have played from the St James FA VMBS Under-13, ISSA Under-14 and Under-16 and at club level.

They even share dreams of playing professional football and support the same English Premier League team, 20-time champions Manchester United.

After two previous unsuccessful seasons at the daCosta Cup level, they have led Cornwall College to the best record in ISSA schoolboy football, 14-straight wins in both the daCosta Cup and past the first round of the Flow Super Cup for the first time with a 3-0 win over Denham Town High in the first round at the Montego Bay Sports Complex last Friday.

Fletcher scored all three goals in the game, but it was Vassell who was pulling the strings with his pin-point passes, finding his strike partner almost without thinking.

Vassell, who switched from playing wide this season to playing behind Fletcher, is the more accomplished passer to the speedy Fletcher, who has emerged the better finisher with either foot.

In their own words, their inherent skills complement each other.

“We have been playing on the same team since Grade One, so we know each other’s game,” Vassell told the

Jamaica Observer recently.

Fletcher added: “It’s great to play with each other (as) we have been playing together for a long time and we are used to each other… he passes the ball well and pushes me to play harder.”

Vassell said he and Fletcher are close on and off the field.

“On and off the field, we live close, like brothers, closer than brothers. We even live walking distance from each other and we know how each other think and I understand his movements better than anyone else on the field because we have been playing together since primary school to club teams and now at Cornwall,” noted Vassell.

The duo have created a legacy of winning at every stop as they have won two St James Under-13 titles while at Howard Cooke Primary before moving to Cornwall College where they won the ISSA Rural Area Under-14 in 2011, then were part of the all-conquering Under-16 team in 2012 that beat Manchester High in the Rural Area final before drubbing Wolmer’s Boys 7-0 in the all-island final.

Vassell and Fletcher have played on the same Youths In Action team in the St James Under-15 and have been part of the Faulkland FC team that has earned promotion through the football system in St James from the Division Two and are now playing in the Western Confederation Super League this season.

Both are well aware of the role they play in Cornwall College’s chase for football titles this season.

“Our biggest motivation right now is this team and how well we can do this season, so we are taking each game one step at a time and keeping our focus,” said Vassell.

The pair agrees that while they are still unbeaten, and theoretically still in the chase for four trophies, the daCosta Cup is their main focus.

“The daCosta Cup is the most important one to us; traditionally it is the one we have done well in and we can also win the Olivier Shield as well,” Vassell told the Observer.

After coming up short the past two seasons after showing early promise, Fletcher said the main difference in the team this season is the overall team discipline.

“There is more discipline in the team this year and better chemistry. I think we are more experienced and we know how to deal with things better so there is also the experience from playing together a long time and understanding the game, but mostly it’s about the discipline,” Fletcher chimed in.

Both players are also enjoying their best season, in terms of scoring goals, and have combined for 28 of their team’s 51 goals so far. Fletcher has scored 19 goals all season, while Vassell, who missed the first four games, has scored nine and leads the Inter-zone round with five goals.

Vassell said that switching from playing on the flank to a more central role has helped his game.

“Shifting to the inside has helped me to improve my game as it allows me to see the game better and be more involved for longer periods,” he said.