St Andrew Lions repelled a spirited Pinelands fightback to clinch a 4-3 victory in their Group B game at Speightstown, when the Prime Minister’s Cup continued on Tuesday.
That result also confirmed their passage to the round of 16.
Lions would have been envisioning a much easier night when Matthew Ellis booted them into the lead in the 7th minute and captain Dario King doubled their advantage just seconds later.
A 19th-minute own goal from Pinelands put the Lions in total control and further on course for victory, with no change in the scoreline until half-time.
Pinelands’ night went from bad to worse immediately after the resumption, as Jamol Williams made it 4-0 in Lions’ favour in the 48th minute, but just as it appeared all hope was lost, the Pine men began their fightback.
Lamar Scantlebury grabbed their first goal with a 55th-minute free kick, while Renaldo Clarke turned the pressure up on the Lions with the second goal for Pinelands in the 82nd minute before hitting another in the 90th, but the St Andrew-based side managed to hold on until the final whistle moments later.
Lions skipper King was named player of the match.
“From the get-go we decided to score as much goals as we could, then seal the game from there.”
King said his recent experience playing with the senior national team in the Concacaf Nations League gave him exposure to teams from other countries.
He has, however, conceded that the Lions still have lots of room left for improvement.
“It’s football, so we’ve got to work on everything. We’ve got better players than last year in terms of our firepower, but conceding, that’s one thing we’ve got to work on.”
The Group B standings are very tight following Tuesday’s game, with Brittons Hill United leading on six points and with a goal difference of +4, while Lions also have six points, but are second due to their goal difference of +3.
Ivy Rovers are third, also on six points but with a goal difference of +1, while Pinelands ended the group stage without a point.
(KH)
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