Barnes

COACH John Barnes might have played all of his football in England but made it clear on Thursday night that he was not into the old English style of play, high balls, booted from one end of the field to the other, for strikers to chase.

With Jamaica leading 1-0 before running out 2-0 winners over Guadeloupe, getting goals from Oneil Thompson and Luton Shelton in the 11th and 57th minutes, respectively, the Boyz drew the ire of the sparse crowd in the National Stadium as they were content to play around the ball, looking for an opening against their defensive rivals.

Game management

Barnes, who has now guided Jamaica in three unbeaten runs to tomorrow's final against Grenada and a spot in next year's Gold Cup, said the Boyz were playing to his instructions, what he termed "game management", playing according to the strength and advantages of the team.

"Just to hit from back to front, we are not going to get anything out of that but Guadeloupe can because their number 11 boy is good in his chest and he can control it.

"This is not our game and we have to play to our strengths and have patience. That (the crowd booing) wasn't a concern because we were one-nil up and didn't really hurt from it. This is something that I am trying to draw out of them because I always believe in playing the same way all the time," Barnes pointed out.

There was a marked difference in Jamaica's play under Barnes as the lone wolf, gallery style, which often creep into the local game when the top England-based stars are not around, was almost non-existent, replaced by coordinated passing and possession.

Guadeloupe, who advanced from Group B of the preliminary round as runners-up to Cuba, started bright, playing a tight midfield in a 4-5-1 formation, using six-footer Mickael Antoine-Curier as a lone striker.

Make amends

Despite Guadeloupe having 10 men behind the ball, striker Dane Richards breached their tight defence in the seventh minute but his goal from the left side of the six-yard box was ruled offside by Salvadoran referee Joel Aguillar.

It did not take long for the Boyz to make amends as a second corner from the right side - an in-swinging left-footer taken by Demar Phillips - was met by unmarked Thompson at the back post.

The six-foot midfielder, turned defender by Barnes, rose high in the six-yard box to power in his header.

Surprisingly, Guadeloupe with-drew deeper into their shells after the opening goal, while Jamaica took over midfield, playing the ball around.

The half ended with Dwayne Miller replacing injured Donovan Ricketts in the 38th and the home crowd growing restless as Jamaica were content to pass the ball around, trying to pry open Guadeloupe.

At the resumption, the by now impatient crowd, wanting to see more goals or the Boyz playing to the gallery, even started booing back-passes.

Barnes said this did not bother him one bit.

"The fans started booing a bit when we were one-nil up and when we started keeping the ball. When we are one-nil up, we have to be patient because, eventually, as you saw in the second half, they will have to come out and when they came out, you saw that we pick them out with two or three passes.

"You saw that Luton (Shelton) went through to score and Dane (Richards) went through one or two times," Barnes pointed out.

Proven right

Barnes was proven right in the 57th when Shelton outpaced his marker, Cedrc Avinel, sprinting into the box on a long pass sent down the middle of the pitch by Thompson.

The speedy striker paced himself well against the slower Avinel, drifted just wide of the advancing 'keeper and slotted around him from inside the box.

"Our strength is not hitting long balls up to them because Luton is not big and strong to get down the ball on his chest, neither is Dane nor Andy (Williams). If we can progress forward and play a through ball to them then fine," said Barnes, who now faces his first final with the Boyz tomorrow, playing Grenada for a shot at a fourth Caribbean title and US$150,000 first prize.