Five-star Francis powers Tivoli past Tarrant
Published:Tuesday | September 30, 2025 | 12:12 AMGregory Bryce/Staff Reporter
TIVOLI GARDENS High’s standout striker Ryan Francis was the star of the show as he bagged all five goals that came from the drubbing of Tarrant High in the ISSA/WATA Manning Cup Zone B action yesterday at the Tarrant High School field.
In a resumption of play after the initial match was postponed at the 37th minute due to inclement weather, Francis was a man on fire as he led his team to all three points.
Francis scored two goals in the initial game played on September 19, and added a further three goals in the 62nd, 69th, and 73rd minute of play.
Lance DaCosta, assistant coach of Tivoli, praised his team for their performance and lauded Francis as the team’s leader due to his experience in schoolboy football competitions.
“Our momentum was broken from the rain and everything, so the second half, we really got them back focused and got the goals,” he said.
“Right now, he is the main person on the team. This is his fifth season, so he’s the most mature player. He was on the winning team for the Walker Cup, so this is really his team and we’re depending on him to score the goals.”
With the game resuming in the first half at the 37th minute, Tivoli were quick to take full control of the match and bossed much of the proceedings.
However, they failed to capitalise on their chances in the closing minutes of the first half, struggling to navigate Tarrant’s high defensive line.
Tarrant, the home team, would start the second half with some incentive, as Dantae Goulbourne proved a stalwart figure in their defensive shape and a lynchpin in their attack with his ranged passes.
However, Tivoli would quickly take control of the game once again, and found purchase just past the hour mark.
Francis would fire home from close range despite some last-ditch defending from Tarrant’s backline.
The prolific striker, who has now netted 10 goals this season, looked set to find his double on the afternoon, and his fourth in the game, when he broke through on goal in the 65th minute.
With only the goalkeeper to beat, Francis failed to pick a spot and sent a tame effort which was cleared by Tarrant’s goalkeeper, Nickel Walker.
He made up for the blunder just four minutes later.
Running onto a cross inside the box, Fancis produced a feint to beat his marker before a low-driven effort accounted for his fourth.
His final goal was the pick of the lot. In the 73rd minute, he picked up the ball outside the box, shifted past the defender and let loose a rocket which whistled into the back of the net.
The win sees Tivoli maintaining their second place in the zone with 13 points from five games, trailing zone leaders Kingston College (KC), who have 15 from a perfect record of five wins from as many games.
Tarrant, on the other hand, sit sixth in the standings with just three points from one win and four defeats.
Tarrant’s coach, Orlando Bennett, said their focus now will be to see out their season as strong as possible, as they have been eliminated from the competition.
“Preparation was a bit lacking today in terms of how we go about the game,” he explained.
“We don’t have some players because some are injured, some red-carded out. It’s just what it is.
“For the team, we have about seven under-16 players playing in the starting team; so, most definitely, we want to finish the season as strong as possible.”