3 months ago
27
SPANISH TOWN Police FC cemented their place in history on Saturday at the Spanish Town Prison Oval, beating Falmouth United 5-4 on penalties in the Jamaica Football Championships (Tier II) second-leg semi-final, to become the first police football club to qualify for the nation’s top-flight football competition.
Spanish Town Police defeated Falmouth 1-0 on the day, but the tie ended 1-1 on aggregate after Falmouth’s similar win in the first leg.
The result was made that much harder after Shayiem Barracks was shown a red card just eight minutes into the game.
Chevon Walters, however, provided a ray of hope when he levelled the tie in the 39th minute.
“In the first few minutes of the game, we got a red card and went down to 10 men. So it’s 10 men that we use to beat them,” said Spanish Town Police’s technical director Howard Dyer.
“It wasn’t like after the first 20 or first 40 minutes. It was basically the first tackle of the match.
“The opposing player went too low to head the ball and my player swung his foot to kick the ball and he kicked the player in the face, and blood [came]. And from the referee saw the blood, it was a red card.
“But we got a goal and went 1-0 up. And we said it would be better for us to defend the one and go to penalty shoot-out, as we train for penalty shoot-outs on a regular basis. So we knew we had the players to do it.”
Dyer noted that after a slow start to the season, they eventually got things right and went on an eight-match winning run, which was only broken by their defeat to Falmouth in the first leg. Still, they always fancied their chances of overturning the result in the return game.
With Jamaica Premier League (JPL) status now achieved, Dyer said they cannot rest on their laurels, they have to start getting their house in order to face the challenges of the top flight.
“We cannot wait for the league to be about to start. We have to be on it now. So, as we speak, we are on the job, and if we are falling short, the High Command will have to step in.
“But we are hoping to get the team on a level. We are always improving and we hope to continue that way. So we will take our time and beef up our programme.
“We will get there. We know we will have to get some sponsors and a little development, but we will get there,” he said.
He has also set his sights on two players, one player from Mount Pleasant and another from Portmore United.
“We know those players are comfortable, so we will have to come extra good (to get them). But I believe those two players, with what we have, can do some damage,” he said.
He added that the entire police fraternity is in euphoria over their achievement and that the Tier II final this weekend against Treasure Beach will just be a fun affair for them.
“We are all totally elated. Left, right and centre; back and front; all around celebrations were in the air straight up until 12 midnight. We all feel great, very great.
“The final will be like a fun game. We will go with our best to win, because we want to win. But the fun for me would be to beat my DSP (deputy superintendent of police) that worked in Spanish Town and retired about a month ago and is now manager for Treasure Beach.”
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