Mona clip Camperdown in seven-goal Manning Cup thriller
ST ANDREW, Jamaica – Mona High maintained their unbeaten run in the ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup competition when they clipped Camperdown High 4-3 in a Group E, seven-goal thriller, at Excelsior High, Thursday.
First half substitute Zhaine Pinnock with two goals along and Kshaine Gordon and Donhue Mitchell got the goals for Mona while Devante McCrea with two and Shelton Ricketts got the goals for Camperdown.
Having been beaten 9-2 in the first match-up between the two teams, Camperdown were determined to turn things around Thursday but found themselves trailing when Gordon opened the scoring in the 21st minute for Mona.
But McCrea, the Camperdown captain, had an immediate response for his team when he powered home a header from close range, just two minutes later. Pinnock then got the first of his two goals in the 31st minute to put Mona High ahead for the second time in the contest with a sublime curling effort into the roof of the net.
However, McCrea who missed his team’s first match against Mona, was playing like a man possessed and someone determined to make up for lost time. His bustling play upfront led to a second equaliser in the 34th minute as the teams went in tied at 2-2 at the half time break.
Camperdown then took the lead for the first time in the match when Ricketts powered home at the near post after turning his marker inside-out just two minutes after the restart.
A shell-shocked Mona then mounted a response to going behind for the first time in the contest and after battling bravely were able to level the contest when Pinnock scored his second of the game in the 75th minute.
This would prove to be a key moment in the game as Camperdown High protested the awarding of the goal by the referee after a Mona High player appeared to head the ball back into play while he was beyond the goal line.
The vehement protests led to the expulsion of two Camperdown coaches, including head coach Donovan Lofters who was incensed by the awarding of the goal against his team.
Despite losing their coach, Camperdown never buckled as both teams then went in search of the winner in what was a very engaging contest watched by more than 1,000 spectators.
It was Mona’s leading scorer Donhue Mitchell who would guarantee them all three points with a well-timed half volley that rippled the back of the net in the 88th minute.
Mona now have 21 points from seven consecutive wins while Camperdown High remain on eight points from seven games and must win their three remaining matches to stand a chance of advancing to the second round of the competition.