Kwesi Mugisa, Staff Reporter
NORMAN MANLEY put themselves in prime position to secure the top spot in ISSA/Pepsi/Digicel Manning Cup Group D when they got by St. George's 2-0 at Tinson Pen yesterday.
The win saw Norman Manley move to 23 points, still two behind leader's Bridgeport, who finished out their fixture with a 4-2 win over Ardenne, but they have a game in hand.
Heavy favourites
Norman Manley are heavy favourites to close out their first-round fixture with three points when they face Penwood. Kimarlee Brissett headed Romario Campbell's curling free kick past a rooted George's custodian Jabari Wallace to give the home team the go-ahead goal in the 6th minute.
The North Street team was partly at fault when it went further behind in the 27th minute. The Light Blues failed to clear their lines which allowed the prowling Campbell free in the area. He then rolled the ball into the path of Jamali Spence who fired low and hard past keeper Wallace to put the hosts further ahead.
It was a more spirited effort from the North Street team in the second half. Kemal Malcolm's 52nd-minute header went straight to Norman Manley goalkeeper Romeo Reid and the pacy striker, who put in a workman-like performance for the entire fixture, saw two more efforts in the 70th and a 79th-minute free kick go just over the bar.
"They got the job done. We had a long layoff, we haven't been able to play in the last couple of weeks for various reasons," said Norman Manley coach Alrick Clarke.
"It was a good win for us because it would be good for us to wrap up the first-place spot," he said. George's coach Neville Bell believed his team's slow start was once again its undoing.
Much better second half
"We played a much better second half. We have been starting slowly so maybe we need to look why that is," Bell said.
"We have one fixture left and we will honour it and hope to come up with a good result." he said.
The loss officially eliminated St. George's, who remain on 16 points, from the competition. Over in Group A, Waterford booked their spot in the second round following a 3-0 win over St. Jago.
| Group A: | St. Mary's | 0 | Jamaica College | 12 |
| Innswood | 1 | Tivoli | 1 | | Waterford | 3 | St. Jago | 0 |
| Group B: | José Marti | 1 | Donald Quarrie | 0 |
| Group C: | Campion | 2 | Calabar | 1 |
| Group D: | Ardenne | 2 | Bridgeport | 4 |
| N. Manley | 2 | St. George's | 0
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