Despite losing start striker Phillon Lawrence to the “transfer market”, Holy Trinity High started their ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup season with a bang when they put an 8-1 pasting on Clan Carthy High at Winchester Park on Tuesday.

A second-half hat-trick from Carlington Blackwood highlighted the Group A match which was a one-sided contest as Holy Trinity dominated play from start to finish.

They scored three goals in the first half and five in the second with Clan Carthy getting a consolation goal from the penalty spot late in the game.

A beautiful strike from left back Okelo Howard brought out a spectacular save from Ishmael Simpson to set the early tone, but Simpson could do nothing to stop an even more impressive effort from Shemari Glade, which curled into the top right corner of the goal in the 17th minute.

Ten minutes later, co-captain Ricardo Dixon fired home a thumping effort from inside the box to make it 2-0.

Goalkeeper Simpson suffered a dislocated finger trying to stop the shot but managed to soldier on until half-time when he was replaced by Damaine Francis. Jaheim Williams steered home the third front close range in the 39th minute as the Clan Carthy defence wilted under the Holy Trinity pressure.

Introduced at half-time, Blackwood then went about proving his coach right for making the change at the time that he did. It took him only six minutes to find the net, and grabbed his second eight minutes later, in the 59th minute, as Holy Trinity raced into a 5-0 lead.

Substitute Justin Patterson then scored from the penalty spot for Clan Carthy to make it 5-1 in the 69th minute, but that joy was short-lived as Shian Hanson made it 6-1 in the 74th minute.

A minute later, Blackwood completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot, with the final goal coming in the 89th minute from first former Rasheem Green.

“It was a workmanlike effort from the team. It is a young unit coming out this year with actually four players from last year. Our best players are all over the place, so it’s a rebuilding process and it’s a great way to start,” said Devon Anderson, the Holy Trinity head coach. Despite the huge margin of victory Anderson was still unsatisfied with the performance.

“I was concerned with how we move the ball. I wasn’t pleased…but I try to introduce as many players as possible, no matter how young they are, as you can see…as long as you can play the way I want you to.”

Dino Rochester, a member of the Clan Carthy coaching staff, identified fitness as a main area of concern for his team.

“Most of the players seemed tired very early and instead of approaching the ball they were waiting on the ball, and the opposing team was more tactical and the midfield was extremely weak, so the forwards weren’t getting enough balls,”he said.

—Dwayne Richards