NPL Round #17 Wrap-Up

By  reporter@premidictor.net

Wednesday, January  09th , 2008

 

All island power outage hampers two games but Tivoli Gardens maintain two point lead

 

 

 

An all-island power outage disrupted two late Cash Plus Premier League games between Arnett Gardens/St George’s and Seba/August Town, while Tivoli Gardens whipped Reno to maintain their two points lead atop the standings.

Goals from the young and talented, Navion Boyd in the 34th, Roberto Fletcher in the 54th and Oraine Simpson in the 90th minutes, carried Tivoli Gardens to an emphatic 3-1 victory.

Nicholy Findlayson replied for Reno with a 68th minute penalty to reduce the score to 2-1 but the Westmoreland-based outfit while pressing for the equaliser, conceded a stoppage time goal.

The west Kingston-based Tivoli with their 10th win of the season, move to 33 points while Reno slipped to a spot to ninth place on 19 points.

 

In the feature encounter at the Drewsland Mini-Stadium, home team Waterhouse came from behind to hold champion Harbour View 1-1 in a pulsating encounter which could have gone either way.

National striker Fabian Taylor fortuitously opened the scoring with just 12 minutes on the clock. He collected a ball just outside the box with a brilliant first touch with took him pass Marco McDonald and saw his shot took a wicked deflection off the hand of Michael Stone sending goalkeeper Richard McCullum the wrong way.

Seven minutes later, left-sided midfielder Loxley Thomas, got a glorious chance to double the lead for Harbour View but with only the goalkeeper to beat, he kick straight at the sprawling legs of McCullum.

The pencil-slim Jonathan Williams level the score for Waterhouse, finding enough space well inside the box to turn in a Weston Forrest bicycle kick in the 41st minute.

Both teams battled for supremacy in search of the winner but could not find the important second goal.

Waterhouse with the point remain in third position on 28 points, falling five points behind the leader while Harbour View also kept their fourth place on 27 points.

 

At the Ferdie Neita Park, Portmore United blanked the visiting Village United 2-0 courtesy of a double strike from the young Steven Morrissey in the 2nd and 90thy minutes.

Portmore, the first end-of-round final winner, stayed in second place on 31 points and condemn cellar team Village to the bottom on 10 points from 17 games.

The Paul Davis-coach Village from Trelawny, face an uphill task in their battle for premier league survival from this early although there are still 21 games remaining.

 

Clarendon outfit Sporting Central Academy turned in an impressive home performance, thrashing Boys’ Town 3-0 at Brancourt.

Sean Coleman, formerly of Waterhouse, opened the scoring in the 38th minute tapping in from close range before the skilful Hughan Gray increased the advantage in the 51st minute.

Tennyson Smith then put the icing on the cake in the 77th minute, slotting into an empty goal after a brilliant buildup play dismantled the boys’ Town backline.

The promoted Sporting Central climbed two spots into eighth place on 19 points only a point behind their opponent Boys’ Town, who still occupies sixth with 20 points

 

Over at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex, a power outage ended the game between home team Arnett Gardens and St George’s locked at 1-1 with 32 minutes remaining.

Damion Harewood put the St George’s ahead in the 39th minute tapping home after some poor defending from the Arnett Gardens defender.

With the burden of lifting his struggling team, Kevin “Pele” Wilson got between two defenders and calmly lobbed the ball over the goalkeeper’s head and into the back of the net to level the scores in 50th minute.

But only eight minutes later and with the setting of a grand finish, the power went plunging the entire Jamaica into darkness and bringing the game to a premature end.

Arnett remain second from bottom in the 12-team league on 15 points while surprise package, St George’s stayed fifth on 25 points.

 

Over at Jarrett Park, the Seba United/August Town clash which started at 6:00 pm, was also affected by the power cut and was abandoned after only 12 minutes with the score reading 0-0.

Seventh-placed Seba of St James are on 19 points while August Town slipped a spot to 10th on 16 points with their game rescheduled for a later date.