Harbour View FC and Cavalier FC successfully defended their Kingston and St Andrew Football Association (KSAFA) youth football titles last Thursday while relegating Santos FC to the runner-up spot on both occasions.

In the Under-13 final, Harbour View scored a second-half stoppage time winner to take the title for their fourth-consecutive win, while Cavalier required penalties to retain their crown after they were pushed all the way by a determined Santos team.

In the first final Harbour View were the better team for most the game, with Che Gardner, son of Jamaica legend Ricardo “Bibi” Gardner, proving to be a menace down the flank. In addition to providing a number of assists that his teammates failed to convert, Gardner himself failed to find the net on a number of occasions when he should have gotten his name on the scoresheet.

Just when it appeared that the game was headed for extra time Denzil McKenzie popped up to score a beauty, a left-footed striker that flew into the roof of the net to ensure the Stars of the East retained their title.

Harbour View Head Coach Sydney McFarlane thought his boys made heavy work of the final, based on the number of chances they created.

“I think we made it more difficult in that the chances that we got we didn’t score those chances but in the end we prevailed, because that goal was out of the top drawer to finish off the game.”

McFarlane thinks the achievements by his team may also be a KSAFA record.

“It is something great because I think this might be a record to win four U-13 titles in a row.”

Santos will count themselves unlucky to leave the UWI-JFF Captain Burrell Centre of Excellence without at least one trophy. Their performance in the Under-15 final was a very good one but they failed to convert a number of easy chances that left Head Coach Carlton “Spanner” Dennis holding his head in his hands on more than one occasion.

Unlike the first game, despite dominating possession there was no reprieve at the end of the game for Santos, not even during extra time.

Cavalier owe their goalkeeper a huge debt of gratitude as he came up big between the sticks in stoppage time and also in the penalty shoot-out.

Donovan Gayle, who normally plays as centre half for Cavalier, was given the job of shot-stopper in the final and produced three fantastic saves to set his team up for the 4-1 win in the shoot-out.

Coach Everdean Scarlett was beaming from ear to ear after his tactical adjustment bore fruit and set up the win.

“He [Donovan Gayle] is not a goalkeeper, he is our central defender — and I trust him that he could get the work done today so I put him in the goal.”

He also had an ominous warning for the challengers to the crown.

“It is a pretty great feeling to retain the title. These guys are a good bunch of guys and I can tell you next year they are coming to defend the title because they are young.”

— Dwayne Richards