Blink National Super League 2011 double winners bmobile Joe Public sealed a place in the inaugural Christmas Cup final, following a 2-1 win over Club Sando, in the first match of Saturday’s double-header at the Marvin Lee Stadium in Macoya.
The first match was followed by a West Side Super Starzs’s last gasp 2-1 win over WASA FC. In the earlier fixture, late efforts from Ellis Dyett and Donavon Derrick gave Joe Public a 2-0 lead before Jesse Downing pulled one back for Club Sando seconds before the final whistle.
Club Sando gave a good showing for themselves, playing with a man down for most of the second half. Dyett put Joe Public a goal up in the 78th minute after both teams were unable to make the most of their opportunities earlier on. The striker controlled a cross from Andre Toussaint, before lobbing the goalkeeper and deflecting off of the goal-post, into the net.
Just five minutes later, Derrick seemingly put Joe Public in cruise control with a wonder goal solo effort which made it 2-0 for the title favourites. Derrick, playing in a wide, left-midfield position, was able to take the ball from half-line, ease past the Club Sando defence and slot home the winner.
Club Sando responded with added pressure, but the Super League fifth place finishers for the past season were unable to menace the Public defense. In the final moments of added time, however, Club Sando finally got onto the scoresheet when Downing skipped past left full-back Dominic Hutchinson and finished with a powerful drive into the far post. The goal came evidently too late, as Club Sando crashed out of the knock-out competition on the second-to-last hurdle.
The win put Joe Public into the final against West Side Super Starz, which stunned WASA, in the day’s second fixture. A last minute effort from Dwayne James gave West Side a deserved 2-1 win, after a tight encounter for either team.
Michael-Lee Celestine put WASA ahead 1-0 up just before the break, but just seconds later, Calvi Grazette equalised for West Side to put both sides at 1-1 at the half. The finalists will meet on Sunday at the same venue from 6 pm, in the second match of a double-header. The final follows the third place play-off between Club Sando and WASA at 4 pm.