Playing with desire, determination and sometimes desperation, Youth Milan finally got their first victory of the 2013 Digicel Premier League season with a sizzling display of soccer Sunday night.
After losing six of their first seven games and drawing the other, Youth Milan notched a morale boosting 2-1 win over defending champions Weymouth Wales in the feature match at a wet Wildey AstroTurf facility.
The victory followed Mackeson Brittons Hill’s 4-0 thrashing of ten-man DirecTV Paradise on a rainy night and carried Youth Milan to four points.
But Youth Milan are still in the relegation zone along with Families First St John Sonnets, who they will play in a rescheduled first-round match on Saturday.
While it was a tenacious team effort from the high-spirited Youth Milan who were spurred on by their vociferous coach Brian Archer, winger Ramon Greaves played a pivotal role in the absence of their injured long-serving captain Norman Forde.
Greaves scored the first goal in the 34th minute with an uncontested back-post header from a cross by Corey Barrow and then set up the second goal for Damien “Duffy” Edwards in the 87th minute.
With veteran goalkeeper Adrian Chase safeguarding Youth Milan’s one-goal lead through some superb saves, Greaves conjured up a bit of magic. He dribbled past Wales’ right back Corey McCollin and took the ball to the byline before playing it inside the six-yard box where Edwards expertly guided it over the line with his chest.
Wales pulled back a goal two minutes later as Chase, nursing an arm, surprisingly didn’t reach to pouch a high ball, which was floated in from the right side by Jamar Walters.
An alert Kemar Headley, who had a quiet night, bravely jumped for the ball and headed it home to make it 2-1 in the 89th minute.
But Wales, despite a few crosses from substitute Anthony Forde around the Youth Milan defence, were unable to get the equalizer in the four minutes of extra time.
Milan, led by solid defensive work from the experienced quartet of Dwayne Skinner, Brian Husbands, Shaun Wilson and Kenroy Skinner, who played a key role in the middle, held on for a much needed win.
Earlier, Rommell Bynoe started the goal rush for Brittons Hill in the 14th minute putting away a corner from Arantees Lawrence.
To compound Paradise’s early woes, they suffered a massive blow as their big central defender Barry Skeete was red-carded by referee Gillian Martindale for using foul and abusive language.
Elsid Miggins gave Brittons Hill a 2-0 lead with a goal on the stroke of half-time, while Hendy Richards made it 3-0 in the 71st minute. Substitute Ricardo Gay, who replaced Lawrence, completed the scoring in the 90th minute, breezing by Andre Bourne and placing his shot past advancing Paradise custodian Jason Boxhill into the far corner.
Brittons Hill moved into second place on 16 points, one more than Paradise and two ahead of Wales and Notre Dame, who have a game in hand.
In the evening’s opener, Parish Land defeated neighbours Silver Sands 2-0 in their Banks Beer Division One Christ Church derby.
Kenny Miller (83rd) and Tito Rock (90th) were the goalscorers for mid-table Parish Land. Despite the loss, Silver Sands jointly share the lead with University of the West Indies with 18 points from nine matches.
