Hamilton Parish 1 Young Men’s Social Club 0

Tre Burgess leapt from the bench to grab a late winner and propel Hamilton Parish into the Friendship Trophy semi-finals.

With extra time looming, the forward tapped in midfielder Diego Richardson’s cross from close range after a fluent attack down the right flank involving fellow substitute Kion Knights. The goal finally settled an evenly contested tie and sent his team’s name into the hat for the next round.

“It feels good to be in another semi-final, and I thought the boys worked hard,” deputising Parish coach Omar Allen told The Royal Gazette.

“It was a very intense and hard game. I give Social Club their credit — they came prepared. Kudos to Nigel [Burgess] for saving that penalty early in the game and also to Tre for scoring the winner. The game was very intense, and these guys stood up to the challenge. Social Club came and brought it, and I think our guys persevered and did a good job.”

Young Men’s Social Club squandered a golden opportunity to take the lead when awarded a penalty after striker Josh Hardtman went down under a challenge from Parish central defender Yeferson Ibaraguen Ramirez.

Bluebirds captain Ryan Parris aimed his penalty kick to the top left side of the goal, but Parish goalkeeper Burgess made an excellent save.

The visiting side had an appeal for another penalty waved away moments later after claiming a handball from a set-piece. Hardtman then blazed Trey Tucker’s cross over the bar during a fluent attack down the right. Burgess had to remain vigilant as Parris’s free kick from the halfway line threatened in the crosswind.

Parish enjoyed a good spell of possession late in the first half, with midfielder Shayne Hollis blasting a partial clearance over the bar from close range and defender Jordan Outerbridge dragging striker Christopher Binnie’s through pass wide just before the whistle.

The home side picked up where they left off after the restart, with Social Club goalkeeper Pierre Smith rushing off his line to deny midfielder Justin Bell after Hollis’s precision pass. Parish threatened again when Smith parried Ibaraguen Ramirez’s free kick in the goalmouth, but Binnie was unable to capitalise on the loose ball.

Social Club suffered a massive setback in the 68th minute when captain Parris went off with a knee injury. Things went from bad to worse, as Burgess finally broke their resistance with what proved to be the winner. Knights gained possession and picked out Richardson, who sped down the wing before crossing into the area. An unmarked Burgess had plenty of time and space to tap into the empty net.

Victory came at a cost for Parish, with central defender Quinn Outerbridge going off late with a muscle strain.

“He said it is just a tweak, so hopefully we can iron it out by our next game,” Allen said. “He is a very vital player to our puzzle, so we are definitely going to get him ready.”

Despite being ousted from the competition, Social Club coach Mike Smith saw positives for his team.

“To lose 4-1 and then come back and lose 1-0 and miss a penalty, I am very happy with our performance today,” he said. “We just couldn’t put the ball in the net. You have those types of days. I am very pleased with the performance, and as long as the performances stay like this, I think positive results will come in the long run.”

Regarding Parris’s injury, Smith added: “He went knee to knee, so we took him off. It’s a long season, so we don’t want to risk him. He should be all right with a good Christmas dinner and a couple weeks of rest.”

Parish will play Dandy Town in the semi-finals on December 27 at PHC Field.

SCORERS

Hamilton Parish: T Burgess 77

TEAMS

Hamilton Parish (4-1-4-1): N Burgess 8 – J Outerbridge 7, Y Ibaraguen Ramirez 7, Q Outerbridge 7 (sub: Z Burgess, 83), A Nelson 7 – N Brockington 7 (sub: K Knights, 75) – D Richardson 7, S Hollis 8, L Lewis 7, J Bell 6 – C Binnie 6 (sub: T Burgess, 60 7). Booked: Q Outerbridge, J Outerbridge. Substitutes not used: K Hollis, K Trott, A Peets, S McKittrick.

Young Men’sSocial Club (4-1-4-1): P Smith 7 – M Hardtman 7, J Richardson 7, R Parris 7 (sub: E Edwards, 68 6), K Smith 6 – A Matthews 7 – J Seymour 6 (sub: T Butterfield, 84), T Tucker 7, M Rudo 6 (sub: C Woolridge, 84), G Butterfield 6 (sub: Kelvon Butterfield, 68 6) – J Hardtman 7. Booked: G Butterfield, Richardson. Substitutes not used: Keshun Butterfield, J Mallory, B Swan.

Referee: A Francis.