PHC Zebras 3 Young Men’s Social Club 2

PHC Zebras closed in on the league leaders by beating Young Men’s Social Club 3-2 in an entertaining encounter at PHC on Sunday evening.

After a minute of silence paying tribute to Fred ‘Pinks’ Lewis, who played for both teams, the match proved to be a pulsating affair, with PHC coach Cecoy Robinson happy with the victory if not the manner of the performance.

“We made it difficult for ourselves and it was hard to watch,” Robinson said.

“The performance wasn’t where I wanted to be but the positive and most important thing is that we got the three points.”

The match was evenly poised until the sixteenth minute when PHC struck first. Midfielder Daniel Cook ran onto a through ball and unleashed a piledriver from just inside the box that Social Club goalkeeper Chiquon Smith could only palm into the back of the net to open the scoring.

In response, Zeiko Lewis, grandson of “Pinks” had the first threatening attack for Social Club but sliced wide from an angle.

PHC were in control of the match and doubled their lead just before half time with a clinical finish. After receiving a diagonal cross, winger Killian Elkinson cut inside from the right and then unleashed a left-footed thunderbolt which nestled in the corner of the net, giving the Social Club custodian no chance.

Social Club’s stern half-time talk from coach Marcelos Thomas paid immediate dividends from the restart as Lewis’s hard running forced their opponents to hesitate in defence with the speedy striker swooping in and side-footing beyond PHC goalkeeper Quinaceo Hunt.

Goalscorer Elkinson then turned provider as his corner found the onrushing Eusebio King-Mills, who placed a powerful header beyond Smith from within the six-yard box to restore the two-goal lead.

Smith would then keep his team in the match, making a point-blank save to deny Jaheim Iris’s goalbound header. Moments later, Social Club’s Malique Wilson dribbled forward and then hit a firm drive which went inches wide of the upright.

The Angle Street club continued their fighting spirit and reduced the deficit to one when Z’Chai Jennings-Barnett rose unchallenged to meet Lewis’s right-footed corner and head home to set up a nail-biting finish.

Goalkeeper Hunt had to be at his best when he saved his defender Stephan Simmons’ attempted clearance, which was heading for the back off the net.

With time running down PHC substitute Simeon Burrows nearly finished the match in style but his sizzling drive from 25 yards rattled the crossbar before bouncing back into play as PHC cautiously played out the final minutes of the match.

Scorers

PHC Zebras. Cook 16, Elkinson 36, E King-Mills 54

Young Men’s Social Club: Lewis 46, Jennings-Barnett. 62

Teams

PHC: Q Hunt, Z Lee, S Simmons, E King- Mills, D Smith-Lightbourne, N Brockington, D Cook, K Elkinson, J Iris, J Butterfield, J Joseph. Substitutes: T Place, K Abraham, R Kunze, J Ebbin, S Burrows, D Lodge, T Dickinson-Johnson.

Young Men’s Social Club: C Smith, B Swan, A McFarlane, Z Jennings-Barnett, J Smith, T Woodley, A Matthews, K Smith, M Wilson, J Hylton, Z Lewis. Substitutes: J Johnston, E Mensah.

Referee: N Anderson (Jamaica)