Reggae Boyz Return To Winning Ways
Mount Pleasant FC duo on target against Bermuda
Jourdaine Fletcher and debutant Kemar Beckford bagged a goal a-piece as Jamaica saw off Bermuda 2-0 in Wednesday night’s friendly at the Catherine Hall Sports Complex in Montego Bay.
The Mount Pleasant FC pair were the scoring heroes for a largely inexperienced side, although the Reggae Boyz should have won by a more convincing margin.
A thrilling opening half, packed with scoring opportunities for both sides, was followed by a much more subdued 45 minutes as the Boyz edged the contest.
Jamaica head coach Theodore Whitmore selected a squad entirely from the island, with all but unattached Peter-Lee Vassell plying their club football in the Red Stripe Premier League.
And it was Vassell, who recently failed to win a contract following a recent trial in Denmark, who should have made the breakthrough after five minutes.
The midfielder, who has scored half-a-dozen goals from his previous 16 international appearances, should have slotted home from eight yards.
Vassell didn’t look sharp enough throughout the game, which was not surprising as the former Harbour View FC star has only competed in a pair of friendlies for Danish second division team HB Køge this year. And he lasted just under an hour before being hauled off.
The rest of the squad had been involved in the Jamaican top tier on Sunday and Monday, so didn’t lack match fitness although midway through the second half some legs were clearly tiring.
Bermuda, missing influential captain Danté Leverock – who recently joined a Polish top flight team – and a handful of other key players, were forced to field a number of debutants.
The visitors were denied a goal by the woodwork after 16 minutes. Osagi Bascome picked out striker Jahkari Furbert on the edge of the box, who quick-thinkingly turned on a sixpence only to thunder his effort onto the crossbar.
Three minutes later lively midfielder Bascome threaded the ball to the right wing straight to the feet of Cecoy Robinson. His cross was cleared by Ajeanie Talbott’s header that fell into the path of Reggie Lambe and home keeper Akeem Chambers did exceptionally well to avert the danger with a point-blank save.
As the half-time whistle approached the pace of Fletcher, who had scuppered a pair of glorious goalscoring opportunities, finally found the back of the net.
Given time and space on the edge of the area, Fletcher unleashed a left-footer past Tahj Bell for a 42nd-minute lead.
Fletcher was keen to add to his tally, but two chances – one wide of the target and the other blocked by Bell – meant the Boyz went into the interval with only a slender lead.
After the turnaround it was battling Bermuda who made the better start, and they should have equalised on 51 minutes.
Bascome’s corner found Robinson and his thumping drive was brilliantly kept out by substitute shotstopper Dennis Taylor with a spectacular dive to his near post.
Robinson, taking on the captaincy, was not performing at his usual high standard and with many of his team-mates tiring the Bermuda head coach Kyle Lightbourne made wholesale changes.
These substitutions and frustrating triangular passes forced the Boyz to up their game during a tepid second half.
But with a number of fresh legs introduced by Whitmore, the Boyz were rewarded for their patience and slight superiority on 79 minutes.
Chevone Marsh played a diagonal ball down the left to Kemal Malcolm on the counterattack. The winger instinctively raced into the box before whipping in a pin-point cross for unmarked Beckford to slot home and double their lead.
Jamaica should have grabbed a third strike on 90 minutes, when the combination of Marsh connecting with Malcolm worked wonders until Bell intervened.
The result was an improvement on Jamaica’s most recent game, also contested at Montego Bay, when they were surprisingly held 1-1 by Guyana in their CONCACAF Nations League clash.
For Fletcher, who returned to the senior team after a few years away, it was a relief to play a major role in their triumph. He was part of the Jamaica U23 squad humiliated 9-0 by hosts Japan in the Kirrin Cup last December.
JAMAICA: Chambers (Taylor, 45 mins); McCarthy, Richie, Thomas, Walker (Marsh, 63); Clennon (Murray, 45), J Fletcher (Malcolm, 74). Beckford; Vassell (Anglin, 58), Talbott (Lawes, 86), Isaacs. Subs: A Fletcher, Belnavis, Wellington
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