KINGSTON, Jamaica — The surprise results are piling up in this unusual season of the ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup competition. Overwhelming favourites Calabar High were stunned 1-0 by Kingston High on Tuesday in a game they completely dominated but conceded in the first minute of added time at the end of the game.

Calabar were dominant in the first half and even more so in the second half, yet despite creating a myriad of chances were unable to put the ball into the back of the net.

This was largely due to a man-of-the-match performance from Kingston High captain, who not only marshalled the defence, but came up with a stunning winner for his team to snatch a famous victory against one of the teams fancied to advance from the “Group of Death”.

Group A of the ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup, has champions Jamaica College, St George’s College, and Bridgeport High, along with Calabar High, who are former winners of the competition and is considered the toughest of the three groups this year.

Calabar head coach David Lalor, conceded that it was all a lack of goal scoring that cost his team the game.

“We were all over the team, the game was played in one half, in the half of Kingston High but at the end of the day, goals win games.

“They took one shot from half line, as a matter of fact it looked like a clearance to me and the ball went into the goal. These things happen, it’s just unbelievable, but that’s football.”

He admitted that dropping points against Kingston High was the last thing on his mind ahead of the game.

“We didn’t expect to drop any points to this team. This team was probably the last team we were looking to drop points from but again, goals win games, if you don’t score goals you can’t win games.”

Lalor thinks a lack of focus may have been the root of the problem that ended in the shock defeat.

“I think the players will have to look at what was happening before they came into this game. I think they need to get their focus because we got a lot of opportunities, but we couldn’t score. For whatever the reason, we just couldn’t score, so we have to work on some finishing in training.”

Calabar have three tough games left to play to complete the first round. They will play Charlie Smith tomorrow, St George’s College next Tuesday before ending against the current group leaders Kingston Technical High School.

“It will always be a concern because you drop points. We just can’t afford to drop anymore points going forward. We have the leaders of the zone in front of us and we have them to play so we have to play and see how well we finish,” Lalor said.

He has promised to get his boys to work on the things in training that are necessary to get the desired result against Charlie Smith.

“I think we got a little indisciplined. I gave them some instructions second half how to break down the team easily. We got behind them a couple of times, but at the end of the day we just couldn’t finish. We got behind them, got behind the goalkeeper and just couldn’t finish. So, it shows that this day was just not our day,” he bemoaned.

Lalor agreed that the loss to Kingston High could be called a freak result.

“That’s what I would say. I would have to say that. I can’t say anything else. You can’t get behind goalkeeper…but at the end of the day we just couldn’t score. It’s just one of those results and that’s one of the things that happen in football.”

Dwayne Richards