By AINSLEY WALTERS, Staff ReporterWATERHOUSE LAST NIGHT broke Harbour View's three-year stranglehold on the Jamaica National Building Society Federation Cup in a 1-0 semi-final win at the Tony Spaulding Sports Complex.
Big Nigerian striker Uche Chinyere lobbed goalie Leon Gordon in the 22nd minute, scoring the lone goal of a hard-fought match following the first semi-final in which Village United strolled past Super League team Santos 1-0 off Kevin Williams' 34th minute goal.
Village hardly broke out of an afternoon stroll against Santos in a match played almost in slow motion, unlike the feature game between Premier League semi-final contenders Harbour View and Waterhouse, which was fast forward from the word go.
Waterhouse came prepared for Harbour View, posting man-markers on Jermaine Hue and Nicholas McCreath, the players who destroyed them in a 1-3 Premiership loss two weeks ago.
After failing to threaten Waterhouse's goal, Harbour View fell behind midway the first half when Irvino English fired in a free-kick from the left flank. Defenders William Richards and Clifton Waugh misread the pace of the kick, allowing Chinyere to steal behind them and beat Gordon to the ball.
The tall Nigerian extended his antennae-like right leg to poke the ball over Gordon, who had rushed off his line but was no match in the air for the Waterhouse forward, hurting himself in the process and had to be substituted.
Shattered
Able Leeroy Gray came on for Gordon in goal but it was two midfield substitutions inside 10 minutes that broke Harbour View's back. Injuries to Daniel Shaw in the 29th and Hue five minutes later, shattered the five-time national knockout champions game plan.
Sean Fraser came on for Shaw in midfield and Craig Stewart, who started at left back, switched to the middle of the pitch, making room for Robert Scarlett on the flank. However, neither player could produce the passes for goalpoachers McCreath and Jomo Gordon upfront.
After the break, frustration set in and Harbour View, which had already accumulated two yellow cards through Donald and Damion Stewart, tried outmuscling Waterhouse but came out worst as the men from Drewsland, who had one first-half caution, racked three inside the first 17 minutes of the restart.
Things got to a head approaching stoppage time when referee Raymond Pine gave Waterhouse midfielder Demar Phillips and Harbour View defender Lovell Palmer marching orders for an off-the-ball tussle.
Sudden death
"Somebody was due to beat Harbour View. It was like nobody could beat them so we came here with a plan," said Waterhouse coach Kenneth 'Bop' Campbell.
"We gave Hue and McCreath man-markers because Hue distributes the passes and once he's out you're on your way to beating Harbour View," he added, pointing out that Waterhouse should have put the game away but Chinyere failed convert a 84th minute one-on-one chance inside the 18-yard box with Gray.
Harbour View almost sent the game into sudden-death three minutes from time when Fraser just failed to latch onto a ball headed across goal to the far post by Scarlett.
Harbour View coach Donovan Hayles lamemted the loss of his midfielders.
"To lose two key midfielders so early cost us," he said. "It took time to get back our rhythm. However, the substitutes came out for the second half and handled themselves well but we just didn't bet any shots at goal."
