Kingston College (KC) Manning Cup standout Christopher Pearson made a dream debut for Cavalier FC in the Jamaica Premier League when he provided an assist and then scored a goal to guide his new club to a 2-0 win over Molynes United at Sabina Park on Monday.

Pearson, who played a major role in KC’s double success in winning the Manning Cup and Olivier Shield, made a seamless transition to top-flight football with a dominant display in an attacking midfield role.

“It’s a wonderful feeling. I felt grateful. I had the confidence, it started from in training and coach gave me the leverage. The club is a fantastic club. The club is the same philosophy as KC, they just give me the leverage to dominate the ball and express myself,” he said.

He said that he was given the chance by Cavalier Technical Director Rudolph Speid to be the same player he was for KC.

“The fact that it is the same philosophy of the club and the school because this club is a very dominant team with the ball and I got the leverage from the coach and I had to come and display what I did today.”

Pearson says he got the nod from Speid to take the penalty awarded to his team and decided to go the unconventional route because his high school teammate Carrick was on the park playing for Molynes United.

“When I turned around the coach called me. I was confident enough to take the penalty and my friend (Carrick Stewart) plays for Molynes. I had the feeling that he told them that I was kicking to the right because I practice with him, so I had the confidence, so I just tried the Panenka.”

Including the one that led to the opening goal scored by Captain Kyle Ming on the stroke of half-time, Pearson took most of the attacking free kicks for Cavalier, which he says was all about confidence.

“It’s clearly because of my confidence. The coach believes in my kicking technique and I just had to man up and deliver the free kicks. I took the ball. I believe in myself and I just delivered for the team.”

The icing on the cake for the 19-year-old was having his best friend Carrick Stewart make his premier league debut in the same game as he did.

“It’s a great, great feeling. He is my friend, he is my brother. We were even on the field telling each other what to do. It’s a thing of love, it’s genuine care and I feel very grateful to be sharing the same pitch with him, different clubs. Let’s hope that both of us take it step by step and progress as best as possible.”

The 2-0 win for Cavalier saw them climb up to 15 points and inch closer to the top four clubs in the league.

— Dwayne Richards