Sunset blank Athletic in testy affair

By Cayman Sports Buzz
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Updated: 1 February 2017

“If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs…” When Rudyard Kipling penned the opening line of this poem back in 1895, chances are, he wasn’t thinking about Cayman Athletic Football Club. Maybe he should have been.

In fact, Cayman Athletic technical director Ernie “Gillie” Seymour would be well advised to print off Kiplng’s prose and pin it to the wall of their changing room. It may not earn Athletic “…. the Earth and everything that’s in it,” but it may go some way to easing their disciplinary woes.

On 29 January, they faced Sunset at West Bay’s Ed Bush Stadium. After three minutes, the match was effectively over.

Midfielder Martin Webb jumped for a challenge and was impeded. The referee rightly awarded a free-kick in Athletic’s favour. This wasn’t enough for Webb, who appeared to take matters into his own hands and lash out at a Sunset player. He was given a straight red, no doubt, much to the anger of his team mates and the Athletic bench.

The numeric disadvantage took its toll just 10 minutes later. Gavin Reynolds finished off a neat move to put the team in orange one up.

After the break, it was all Sunset with some Academy players unable to keep their cool. If it wasn’t for the composure of Athletic captain Stephen Tatum and some fine work from keeper Shakur Welcome, the game could have gotten further out of hand.

On 69 minutes, more petulance from Athletic. This time it was Kyle Santamaria was dismissed for, let’s just say, not keeping his head when all about where losing theirs.

Three minutes later, Tommy Tuohy put Sunset two goals up and secured Sunset’s first win of 2017.

As the game drew to a close the tackles started flying in and with 10 minutes to go Athletic were reduced to eight men when Anfernee Wright was dismissed after one too many dangerous lunges.

When the referee blew for full time, then protests started. Players surrounded the officials as they left the playing field. We can’t recall seeing a referee turn around to a player and say, “Oh, actually you were right, sorry I sent you off, come back on.”

Perhaps for the next training session, Athletic should not focus on set plays and fitness drills, but instead practice keeping their heads while all about are losing theirs.