Faulkland, Reggae Youths on cusp of St James/Sandals Major League final
MONTEGO BAY, St James — Faulkland FC and Reggae Youths hold the advantage in their respective return matches against Montego Bay Boys Club and Heights FC in the St James Football Association/Sandals Resorts International Major League semi-finals at Jarrett Park.
Faulkland FC will take a 2-0 lead into their game against Boys Club, which starts at 1:30 pm, while Reggae Youths have a 1-0 edge over Heights FC in the 3:30 pm contest.
The winners on aggregate will advance to the final from which the champions will earn a berth in the play-offs for next season’s Jamaica Football Championship.
In the first leg just over a week ago, former Faulkland player Joel Powell gifted them the opener when he conceded an own goal in the 66th minute.
Kyle Anderson added a second in the 78th minute to give Faulkland a handy advantage.
In the opening game of the double header Tyrique Scott’s 54th-minute strike was the difference for Reggae Youths against Heights.
Faulkland had played in the Jamaica Premier League in the 2022-23 season, after spending just one season each in the St James FA Major League and the then JFF Tier II in the 2021-22 campaign. They returned to parish football after a layoff and picked up where they left off.
The Gregory Palmer-coached team won Zone A with 31 points, well ahead of runners up Reggae Youths (24), last season’s finalists.
In Zone B, goal difference separated the top teams, three of them finishing on 19 points.
Heights, who have promised much in the past but usually fall just short, came out on top. They were ahead of Boys Club who overtook Lilliput Rovers after beating them in the final game of the regular season.