KC juggernaut rolls on with 8-0 swamping of Waterford
KINGSTON, Jamaica – Kingston College continued their unbeaten run in the ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup when they swamped Waterford High 8-0 at the Stadium East Field on Monday.
Led by a hat-trick from second half substitute, Nashordo Gibbs, the famed Purples made it seven wins on the spin as they motor their way towards the second round of the competition.
Kingston College coach, Jermaine Miller, described the performance of his boys as excellent after yet another emphatic win.
“I think it was an excellent all-round team performance. We managed the game well, offensively and also defensively,” he said.
Miller sees improvement in the team with each game played, while hailing the team’s spirit, which has allowed them to continue to score easy wins.
“I think we are getting better each game, and this is what we want to continue to do,” he said.
“We have a lot of quality up front, and we want to keep on the front foot and score goals. We have a very, very good team spirit now. These players are very, very happy and they are getting better as the games go by,” he added.
Next up for KC will be the match-up with neighbours St George’s College, and Miller is bursting at the seams to be a part of his first North Street derby.
“It is an eagerly anticipated game, and we just can’t wait to get in. The team is gelling at the right time, and I think as we go into each game, we get better and better and better,” he said.
KC were expected to be tested by a Waterford team that came into the game with a lot of confidence after taking the scalp of STGC when they first met in the season and drawing with Calabar in their last game out.
However, after mustering only one shot on target in the first half, Waterford were not given a sniff in the second half in a dominant KC performance.
After being stonewalled for the first half hour, the Purples finally made the breakthrough when Jaheem Johnson side-footed home a cross from Dujuan Richards from inside the six-yard box in the 30th minute.
It took only a minute for KC to add to their lead when a mishit shot from Ashanie Kennedy somehow made its way into the back of the net.
Their leading scorer Richards was not to be denied as he lashed home the third for KC in the final minute of the first half.
Johnson was replaced after the half time break by Gibbs, who scored a seven-minute hat-trick to put the game beyond doubt.
After three consecutive efforts were blocked by his teammates, Gibbs collected the ball on the top of the box and curled a shot into the corner of the net to make it 4-0 in the 59th minute.
Gibbs then bagged two more goals in two minutes to put the game out of the reach of Waterford.
His second goal of the game, which came in the 65th minute, was almost identical to the first and then just one minute later, he reacted the quickest to a rebound, which came back off the crossbar from a Richards strike that was parried by the Waterford custodian to head home from three yards and make it 6-0 in the 66th minute.
KC completed their scoring from the penalty spot after both spot kicks were earned by Richards.
Goalkeeper Tajarie Lee scored the first penalty going to the goalkeeper’s left before captain Blaine Byam scored the second spot kick and final goal of the afternoon by going to the goalkeeper’s right.
KC and STGC will meet on Saturday at the Stadium East Field in the first of two North Street derbies.