Hosts Tivoli Gardens booked their place in the semi-finals of the Western Union Jackie Bell KO competition, following an exciting 2-1 come-from-behind victory over rivals Boys' Town in their quarter-final game at the Edward Seaga Sports Complex yesterday.
Boys' Town ended the game with nine men and Tivoli Gardens 10 men. Daemion Benjamin (36th minute), for a second bookable offence and Renae Lloyd (79th) for ungentlemanly conduct, were the Boys' Town players ejected; while Tivoli's Jahmeel Thompson was given a straight red card for a harsh tackle at the 58th minute.
The Red Brigade drew first blood when Garfield Gillespie gave them the lead in the 23rd minute, as he headed home a free kick from George Vernal.
Failed to capitalise
However, the visitors' mood was quickly transformed when Benjamin was sent off 10 minutes later.
Tivoli Gardens failed to capitalise on the advantage immediately as strikers Roland Dean and Navian Boyd were guilty of missing clear-cut chances up to half-time.
Three minutes in the second period, Dean received a well-measured pass from Dwight Heron, but his close-range effort was spectacularly saved by custodian Kirk Porter.
Tivoli Gardens would be reduced to 10 players moments later, when Thompson was sent off for a vicious tackle on Carlos Wright.
Dean then made up for his earlier misses with an equaliser in the 65th minute, as he lobbed Porter, who was off his line, from 25 yards out.
Things got worse for Boys' Town, who were further reduced when Renae Lloyd was sent off for violent conduct.
Soon after, Tivoli Gardens substitute, Jermiane Allen, came close to scoring his team's second goal in the 85th minute, but his 30-yard shot hit the crossbar.
Just when it seemed as if the game was heading into extra time, Tivoli Gardens' captain, Christopher Jackson, popped up inside the penalty box to chest home a cross from Heron, against the run of play, thus earning his team the winner.
"It was difficult but it wasn't impossible because the guys told me that they were going to win this one," said Tivoli's coach, Max Straw. "We knew that we couldn't afford to lose two straight in front of our home fans because our community deserves this and we are glad we delivered tonight," he said.
Straw added: "We always want to make sure that we play quality football because we realise that to get our crowd out we need to play good football, and we are going to try and do this every game and this game was Part one of them."
Andrew Price, technical director of Boys' Town, said: "I think the two red cards that we got were because of stupidity on behalf of my players, by not using their composure and their heads.
"However, I think we fought doggedly and we were in the game until we gave up that soft goal, which was really heartbreaking," said Price.
In the semi-finals, Tivoli Gardens will meet the winner of today's quarter-final game between Duhaney Park and Waterhouse. The game will be played at Baldwin Crescent, starting at 3 p.m.