With their Manning Cup campaign teetering on the edge as they trailed Hydel High with just six minutes left to play on Wednesday, Camperdown High were rescued by midfielder Jardel Williams whose 84th minute wonder strike helped them claim a crucial point, following a 1-1 draw at the Stadium East Field.

The result also helped the East Kingston-based school to remain on the coattails of the team that sit just above them in third place in what has become the “Zone of Death” in the ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup.

The diminutive player who wears the number 10 for his team has been entrusted with the responsibility to link up play between the defenders and attackers and primarily create goal scoring opportunities.

But having watched his strikers muff chance after a chance for most of the match, “Coutinho” as he is affectionately referred to by his teammates, took matters into his own hands, curling a beautiful strike just out of the reach of the Hydel goalkeeper and into the roof of the net.

The celebrations by Williams and his teammates that followed told just how important the goal was to their cause, in what has been a trying start to the campaign for them.

Williams was grateful to snatch a point for his team.

“It was very important. That goal made us salvage a point from this very intense game and I’m grateful for that.”

He believes that the only thing missing from his team right now is their ability to convert the chances that they have been creating.

“We are playing very (well) it’s just that we are not putting away the chances, so we have to capitalise on our chances, that’s the main part of it,” he bemoaned.

Having taken five points from five games, Camperdown will need to start stringing wins together when the return leg matches begin next week, if they are to remain with a shot of making the second round of the competition.

– Dwayne Richards