<Bz46>Wolves have too much bite for tame Zebras
<$>(Wolves win 7-1 on aggregate)
When Vince Minors connected with a terrific side volley with five minutes remaining to put an exclamation point on another command performance, the Devonshire club had equalled the goals output of Vasco against Southampton in 1980-81 and Devonshire Colts against Vasco in 1999-2000. But neither of those previous winners could boast the defensive prowess of Wolves, who received another stellar effort from Corby Durrant in goal.
John Barry Nusum, who scored the third goal yesterday, has received most of the plaudits during a run through the tournament that has seen him hit the back of the net six times. But without Durrant, the six-goal margin of victory would have been significantly closer.
“My friend told me that I was the oldest player on the pitch but it feels good,” a jubilant Durrant said at the end before admitting that he is willing to step aside for the younger Michael Higgs. “He needs experience and I want him to play. It’s a whole team effort. He had a shut-out against Cougars and I don’t mind sitting down.”
Dennis Brown, the Wolves coach, said: “I told them before the game that there was no room for complacency. We wanted to score an early goal, then we settled down and enjoyed the occasion.”
Brown added that he thought that his team were fortunate to escape Southampton Oval with a two-goal win on Sunday. “We watched the tape last night and saw a few things that we didn’t do well defensively,” he said. “We were a bit lucky to get away with a couple of situations on Sunday but today we defended a lot better.”
Wolves entered the match with the knowledge that no team had ever overcome a two-goal, first-leg deficit to win the final. And, after taking a few minutes to adjust to a pitch made heavy by steady rain throughout the morning, they gradually took control.
PHC, in the absence of Stanton Lewis who is off the Island, persisted with Otis Steede as sweeper in a three-man backline, but this was duly abandoned after they went two down with the four-man midfield in place unable to provide Stephen Astwood and the returning Raynel Lightbourne with the service they required.
Ray scored in the ninth minute when he was first to react to a Jamal Simmons free-kick and fired a low, right-foot shot past the diving Quincy Hunt. Wolves should have gone two up when Smith amazingly missed with a point-blank header on the end of a Nusum cross.
The forward’s terrible run in front of goal was given pause in the 22nd minute when a neat bit of invention got the better of Hunt after Jared Peniston’s run and cross.
Hunt needed to be sharp to keep the score down by half-time, as he just got a hand to a Ray volley from the edge of the area, saved with his legs after Peniston darted in past Williams on the right and recovered quickly to gather Sekai Waldron’s tame header.
PHC’s first chance came from the head of Kevin Richards but Tori Davis was well placed to clear his effort off the line. Otherwise, they found Durrant to be in similar form to the first leg, his most notable save coming on the stroke of half-time when he dived full length to turn a Mike Williams shot around the post.
Smith’s confidence in front of goal was done no favours in the second-half when he had enough opportunities to complete a hat-trick. The first came in the 49th minute when he shot poorly wide after beating the PHC offside trap.
At the other end, Richards was on target again with a header but he found Durrant in no mood to compromise, the goalkeeper making a one-hand save.
Richards’s eye for goal cost PHC a fine chance in the 62nd minute when he tried to beat Durrant on an angle instead of picking out Lightbourne or substitute Dennis Russell, who were better placed. Then, after another shocking Smith miss, Durrant did well to save at his near post from Russell.
Although PHC were creating openings, Wolves looked the more likelier to score and number three was on the cards when Minors slipped by Corey Dowling on the right. Nusum was set to open his account when Minors laid the ball into his path but Hunt got down well to save. The rebound fell to Smith, but his shot came back off the upright, by which time Peniston ventured into an offside position.Continued on Page 15The goal that Wolves, and in particular, John Barry Nusum fans craved came in the 71st minute when the Furman College forward scored from close range after a Mark Ray free-kick was half-cleared.
Surely, the match and final was over, but Durrant reaffirmed his value to Wolves by scrambling back to tip over a long-range drive by Duval Wilson.
PHC coach Mark Wade, though visibly distressed at the end, was proud of the effort his players gave. “It was always going to be tough coming from two goals down,” he said. “I thought the players were ready mentally, we just weren’t able to pull it out physically. From here, it’s on to league play and also the Friendship Trophy. We are the league leaders, so we have something to battle for. We’ll be at training on Thursday ready to regroup.”
For Durrant, who was overlooked for consideration as player of the tournament, the return to his former stomping ground in St. George’s brought far more than he could have ever expected.
“When we won the Martonmere Cup, that was it,” he said. “But this caps it off because we’re not playing for ourselves. We have the whole Devonshire community pulling for us. We have so much support, it’s amazing. It’s not about us any more.”
Wolves<$>: C.Durrant; T.Davis (T.Douglas, 67 mins), K.Parfitt, A.Thomas, J.Simmons; S.Waldron, M.Ray (N.Webb, 74 mins), V.Minors, N.Smith; J.Nusum (R.Ebbin, 77 mins), J.Peniston. Substitutes not used: <$>M.Higgs, J.Warren.
Men of the match: <$>K.Richards (PHC); C.Durrant (Wolves).
Referee: Lyndon Raynor.
Player of the tournament (BFA award): <$>John Barry Nusum (Wolves).
