Showdown!
FALMOUTH, Trelawny — Unbeaten Duanvale FC and red-hot Coopers Pen FC will meet in Sunday’s final of the Trelawny Football Association Major League at Elleston Wakeland Centre in Falmouth, following the completion of the semi-finals last weekend.
Duanvale FC played out a 1-1 draw with Kinloss FC to advance on a 4-1 aggregate, after winning the first leg 3-0 the previous week, while Coopers Pen beat Jackson Town 2-1 on Sunday, after their were tied at 0-0 in their first meeting.
Sunday’s final is set to start at 3:00pm and the winner will join St James champions Lilliput Rovers and Westmoreland winners George’s Plain in next season’s Western Confederation Super League.
Duanvale FC and Coopers Pen were semi-finalists last season, the two losing to eventual champions Falmouth United. Coopers Pen were eliminated in the semi-finals, while Duanvale FC were the losing finalists.
Duanvale FC who have not lost a game all season, and led 3-0 from the first leg, were able to take things easy against Kinloss FC.
Duanvale took the lead in the 31st minute through Anandi Rowe.
Ronique Haynes equalised for Kinloss FC in the 40th minute, but that was the only goal they would get in both legs of the tie.
With all to play for between Coopers Pen and Jackson Town, the second game was tense from the start, but Coopers Pen dominated the first-half, then managed to hold off Jackson Town and advanced to the final.
Shannary Brown gave Coopers Pen the lead in the 29th minute when he converted from the penalty spot after Shaunavan McKenzie was upended in the box.
McKenzie had two chances to add to his team’s tally in the 37th minute, but his first shot was blocked by goalkeeper Everton Richards, and he hit the rebound wide.
Coopers Pen eventually got the second goal in the 61st minute when Richards parried a shot from Oshane Harris, but McKenzie was quick to latch on to the rebound and fired it past the custodian into the goal.
Ahkeem Gallimore, who came on as a substitute in the 65th minute, pulled one back for Jackson Town in the 70th minute, and give his team and their fans hope.
Coopers Pen just missed restoring their two goals lead in the 78th minute when a looping shot from midway the half, sailed over the head of the Jackson Town’s goalkeeper Richards, but came back off the crossbar and into play.
Jackson Town had their chances of pulling level, but two players missed a slowly rolling ball across the Coopers Pen area in the 82nd minute.