Tomlinson’s hat-trick gets Irwin’s season going

A HAT-TRICK from Nicardo Tomlinson helped carve out a much-needed win for Irwin High when they smashed Herbert Morrison Technical High 3-0 in their ISSA daCosta Cup Zone A clash at the Irwin High playing field in St James yesterday.

Tomlinson put his team on his back and went to work, scoring in the third, 12th, and 29th minutes to give Irwin a compelling lead before half-time.

With the win, Irwin climb to third in the standings on seven points, with two wins, one draw, and three losses. Herbert Morrison fall to fourth with seven points — two wins, and four losses.

Irwin’s coach Norman Foster said that despite early-season losses, the team has maintained its focus and game preparation.

“We told the guys that we lost a couple of games but we are not out, so we have to keep on fighting,” said Foster.

“We got off to a good start very early with two goals; however, we got comfortable. Eventually, we continued playing with discipline, and they came out with a win,” added Foster.

Tomlinson, speaking with The Gleaner, expressed pride in his performance.

“It was a wonderful feeling scoring and leading my team to a victory today. It was a must-win game, so we had to keep our composure and collect the three points,” Tomlinson said, noting this was his second hat-trick for the team.

Meanwhile, Garfield Anderson, coach of Herbert Morrison, said his team performed poorly.

“We didn’t turn up today, and it was unlike us. We have been competitive all season, but today was a really poor performance,” Anderson said, chalking up the first two goals to defensive lapses.

Anderson emphasised the importance of the game for their interzone competition.

“The loss was a significant setback. We weren’t ready to play and we can’t make mistakes like these. I think we are much better than this as a team,” added Anderson.

In other games, Green Island, on a two-game winning streak, rallied to clip Cambridge 3-2, while Clarendon College defeated Central 2-1, and Glenmuir cruised by Vere Tech 4-1.

Yesterday’s games

Irwin 3-0 Herbert Morrison

Central 1-2 Clarendon College

Green Pond 1-3 Cornwall College

Rusea’s 2-0 Knockalva

Frome 4-0 Anchovy High

Belair 1-2 Manchester

Charlemont 0-2 McGrath

Cambridge 2-3 Green Island

Maldon 5-1 St James High

Glenmuir 4-1 Vere Tech

Denbigh 1-0 Foga Road

Holmwood 0-0 Alphansus