KINGSTON, Jamaica – Kingston College (KC) got it tactically correct when they became the first team to beat title contenders Mona High in the ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup in an enthralling 4-2 win at the Stadium East Field on Saturday.

The reigning champions were battling against the previously undefeated Mona for group honours and bragging rights after both had secured their respective spots in the semifinals on match day two of the quarterfinals.

With Dujuan “Whisper” Richards leading the line for them, KC got off to a 2-0 first half lead courtesy of a brace of penalties won and scored by their talisman in the 13th and 33rd minutes.

Mona responded emphatically in the second half. They got one back in the 48th minute and levelled the score at 2-2 in the 55thminute, their second also coming from the penalty spot, thunderously put away by Zhaine Pinnock.

But KC would show the fighting spirit for which they are universally known when Richards grabbed his hattrick goal, this time from open play to make it 3-1 in the 87th minute to break the hearts of the Mona supporters who had turned out in their numbers.

Then in the first minute of added time, Nashordo Gibbs, who had missed an easy chance to put KC ahead 3-1 and make things comfortable for them earlier in the match, made amends when he sealed the win at 4-2.

KC head coach Raymond Watson said that the victory over Mona was all down to the tactics employed. All four goals came from counterattacking play.

“I have to give all the credit to my team. Tactically is where we won the game because we knew the Mona team would come at us and we decided to soak up this relentless pressure. We definitely planned to hit them on the counter.

“They play a kind of ball game that is relentless pressure, relentless attack and we decided that if they are going to give us space behind them, we are going to try to exploit that space and it paid off.”

Richards had scored 20 goals in the Manning Cup going into the match, but Watson told him that this was the moment that would define his season.

“I told him that, ‘if you didn’t score today then your Manning Cup doesn’t matter. No one will judge you from 20 goals in early season, they will judge you now, they will judge you based on today’s (Saturday’s) game and today’s performance. This is where it counts, so get out there and do the job.’”

Social media was abuzz with comments days before the game, but the KC coach said he avoided all of that to focus on getting the job done.

“I definitely didn’t think about what has been said on social media or in the public. I stayed away all those things. We just came here to play some football and not to lose the game.”

And while the focus has been heavily on the “Whisper”, Gibbs has been making telling contributions to the KC forward line, a situation he was forced into at the start of the season.

“Take today’s (Saturday’s) performance out of the way. This kid played under-14 football, was never a striker, under-16, never a striker, kept shying away from being a striker, (he) always wanted to be a winger.

“We saw shortcomings within the Manning Cup team and asked him if he wanted to play. We said this is your opportunity, you have to strike, this is where we have a shortfall.

“It’s his first season playing striker, brilliant! Striker, left winger, right winger, he’s been brilliant,” Watson said of his player who iced the win as KC topped the group on maximum nine points.

KC will play St Andrew Technical High School (STATHS) in one semi-final, while group runners-up Mona High will play Jamaica College in the other on a date to be announced.