Tivoli Gardens finished the year on a high, cutting the lead atop the Cash Plus Premier League to four points after dismissing Seba United 2-0 while Portmore United were held to a 0-0 draw. At the Edward Seaga Stadium, substitute Jermaine Allen gave the home team Tivoli Gardens a 65th minute lead, tapping in from close range before Oraine Simpson sealed the win from the penalty spot in the 81st minute. Second-placed Tivoli move to 24 points from 14 games while the faltering Seba remained in sixth position on 17 points but has a rescheduled game in hand against Boys’ Town.
Over at Collie Smith Drive, the visiting Portmore United was fortunate to come away with a point after being out played by Boys’ Town in a 0-0 draw. Boys’ Town thought they had found the winner after Michael Campbell got the ball into the back of the net in the 40th minute, but his effort was ruled offside. Again in the 85th minute, Boys' Town's Derrick Planter got a glorious opportunity to give his team maximum points but fired straight at the towering goalkeeper Dwayne Kerr. Portmore, with a share of the points, stayed out front on 28 points while Boys’ Town remained in eighth spot on 16 points.
Former champion Waterhouse under new coach Wayne Fairlcough, closed out the year with win number six after clipping fierce rivals Arnett Gardens 2-1 at the Waterhouse Mini-Stadium. Brain Wollaston, with his fourth goal of the season, gave the Drewsland-based team the lead in the 51st minute, but the visitors found levelled the score six minutes later when Horace Sharpe scored a scorcher from just outside the box in the 57th minute. But the ever-green Kevin Lamey worked his way into the penalty area where he was fouled and last season’s top scorer Irvino English scored from the penalty spot on the second attempt in the 72nd minute. It was English's first game of the season. Waterhouse, since dismissing Peruvian coach Danielo Barriga, have looked dangerous in third on 23 points while Arnett Gardens continued to struggle and Max Straw is odds on favourite to be the next coach to be sacked. Straw was ejected for verbally abusing the referee Dwight Royal, after he ordered the penalty kick retaken because goalkeeeper Julian McLeish left his line too early. Arnett, back-to-back champion in 2000 and 2001, have dropped another position to 10th on 15 points, just two points ahead of the relegation zone after suffering only their third defeat in 14 games. The Junglist have also won only two games while drawing a table-topping nine games. Winning coach Wayne Fairclough said it was not a classical display from his team but “one that can be watched on a Sunday afternoon. We played good enough although I have to give the Arnett link men the edge over our link men but we did what we had to do and that was what paid off for us”.
At the Elliston Wakeland Centre in Trelawny, home team Village United came from behind to hold the champion Harbour View to a 1-1 draw. Harbour View took the lead courtesy of Kavin Bryan in the third minute but Village leveled the score through Everett Mullings in the 53rd minute. Harbour slipped a spot to fifth on 20 points while Village stayed rooted to the bottom on nine points from 14 games.
Meanwhile surprised package, St George’s continued their great form at home edging August Town 2-1 at Lynch Park in Portland. A third minute goals by Gregory Consingh sent St George’s on their way before Danian Reid doubled the advantage in the 16th minute. Top goalscoring midfielder Daniel Shaw scored a consolation goal in the 82nd from freekick but it came too late for August Town. St George’s was winning their sixth match, all at home to be on 21 points and climbed into fourth spot while August Town suffering their table-topping seventh defeat of the season, remained on 13 points and second from bottom in the 12-team league.
At St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS), home team Reno were held to a 0-0 draw by the promoted Sporting Central Academy in a hard fought game. Reno inched to 17 points in seventh place while the Clarendon-based Sporting moved up a notch to ninth on 16 points.
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