MFCR Old Road United Jets have secured their place in the National Bank Group-sponsored SKNFA Premier League Finals after a commanding 3-0 win over Honda Newtown United in Final Four Playoff action on Wednesday, May 6, at the National Bank Group Technical Center. Old Road talisman Tiquanny Williams scored a hat-trick in the 46th, 56th and stoppage time to secure the dominant victory. Both teams ended the match with players sent off — Old Road losing Trevor Hanley and Nejohn Brown who received two yellow cards each, and Newtown’s Kimron Browne being sent off in the first half.
Following the victory, Old Road Coach Alexis Morris praised his team’s resilience: “I will just use one word to summarize tonight’s game — pressure. If I stay here and say it was not a pressure situation, I’d be lying. I told my guys in the locker room before we came out, that you will be pressured. We will have some sort of pressure because there’s a lot of things that we are trying to solidify. You’re talking about going on an unbeaten season. You’re talking about getting into a final two. You’re talking about a lot of firsts. And so therefore, there must have been some sort of pressure. But like I told my guys, yes, there’ll be pressure, but you have to use the pressure as motivation, as momentum.” Morris noted that a halftime conversation with the team led to a significant improvement in the second half: “We were determined to ensure that we solidify ourselves in the finals and win the second ballgame. My guys went out there, they stuck to the task, they rode the wind, they stood the tide, and we were victorious. Finals, here we come.”
The result keeps Old Road unbeaten in the Premier League heading into the finals. In the earlier match, Azul Cayon Rockets surrendered a 1-0 lead to draw 1-1 with Development Bank St. Peters. Malik Hendrickson gave Cayon the advantage late in the second half, but Rocco Browne capitalized on a defensive mistake to rescue a point for St. Peters. Cayon Assistant Coach Anthony Isaac admitted his side struggled under pressure, while St. Peters Technical Director Austin Huggins commended his players’ determination. The preliminary round of the Final Four Playoffs concludes on Saturday, May 9, when Development Bank St. Peters take on Honda Newtown United, with the feature match seeing Old Road face Cayon. Cayon need a win to guarantee a finals spot.