Excelsior trounce Camperdown to top group

Kwesi Mugisa, Staff Reporter

EXCELSIOR THRASHED Camperdown 6-0 to move to the top of Group Two while Wolmer's and Jamaica College (JC) played their way to a tame 0-0 in Group One as the ISSA/Pepsi/Digicel Manning Cup second round continued at Stadium East yesterday.

The pace and craft of National Under-23 striker Alanzo Adlam proved to be far more than the Camperdown backline could handle as he slammed in five goals in a one-sided affair. In damp conditions, Adlam coasted away from the struggling Camperdown defenders before slotting past custodian Mark Bryan in the seventh minute.

Perhaps still shaken, Bryan then dropped a seemingly harmless curling, long-range free kick from Adlam into the back of the net seven minutes later, before a quickly taken free kick once again saw the striker bearing down on Bryan in the 26th minute to complete his hat-trick.

On the mark again

Adlam was on the mark again in the 75th, substitute Valentino Fogo netted in the 88th and Adlam closed out the scoring with a powerful, low effort in time added on.

"With the wet conditions, we moved the ball around and had them chasing. They broke down towards the end of the game so we went for the kill," said Excelsior's coach, Leebert Halliman.

"Every game is like a final and that is how we came out here and played today," Halliman said.

The earlier encounter was a more balanced affair, but while JC bossed possession it was Wolmer's who must be ruing their missed opportunities.

Mikhail Hewitt could have put the Heroes Circle team in the lead in the 30th minute but found 'keeper Oliver Walker with the effort while Andre Sharpe saw his powerful 60th-minute strike parried away by Walker. Excelsior lead Group Two with three points ahead of Waterford on goal difference while, on one point each, Wolmer's and JC are behind Bridgeport on three in Group One.