Seba stop stars of the east

By  reporter@premidictor.net

PREMIDICTOR

28/11/2007

Portmore United and Seba scored comfortable wins over August Town and Harbour View respectively in their rescheduled Cash Plus Premier League games on Wednesday.

Portmore, courtesy of a double strike from midfielder Ricardo Cousins in the 16^th and 75^th and a penalty from captain Anthony Modeste in the 33^rd secured Portmore’s victory at the Ferdie Neita Park.

The St Catherine-based Portmore United, with their fifth win of the season, remained on top with 17 points from eight games and still has a game in hand on.

August Town with their fifth loss of the season are second from bottom in the 12-team league on eight points from nine games. They have not won a game since October 21 when they beat bottom placed Village United 2-0.

  Portmore through Anthony Modeste, Eric Vernon, Cousins, Damion Williams, Wolry Wolfe, Carlos Barrett and Steven Morrissey controlled the tempo and deservedly opened the scoring.

Cousins, Jamaica’s Under 20 captain, gave Portmore the lead in the 16th minute ramming home a freekick from 25 metres that gave goalkeeper Devon Haughton no chance.

But the visiting August Town rallied and found the equalizer from midfielder Zeicko Herrera in the 23^rd minute via a glancing header from a Tafari O’Connor cross.

 But Portmore restored their lead in the 33rd minute when Modeste converted from the spot after Rohan Reid fouled Eric Vernon inside the box.

    August Town’s chances of once again rallying took a nosedive when goalscorer Herrera turned from hero to zero when he was red carded for head butting the diminutive Vernon at the half-line.

 Cousins then took the opportunity of the one-man advantage to put the game beyond August Town, dribbling past two defenders to score in the 75th minute.

Over at the Jarrett Park, Seba United bounced back from Sunday’s away loss to Arnett Gardens to beat defending champions Harbour View 2-0.

    Delroy Ellis’s notched his fifth goal of the season in the 21^st minute when his miss-kicked overhead attempt somehow deceived the goalkeeper Dwayne Miller and bounced over his head and into the net.

Discarded national striker Wilfred Smith’s secured Seba’s fifth win of the season n the 53^rd minute. Smith, who was scoring his third goal of the campaign, was left unmarked to side foot home from close range.

The win lifted the Montego Bay team to second place on 16 points, one behind leaders Portmore United with a game in hand.

It was a game in which Interim national coach Theodore “Tappa”  Whitmore made his seasonal debut as a player much to the delight of the home fans in the 83^rd minute.

    Harbour View, the newly crowned Caribbean Football Union (CFU) club champions, were suffering back-to-back losses, giving up three goals without scoring, but could have gone down to a much wider margin but for an outstanding display by 20-year-old goalkeeper Miller.

    The ‘Stars of the East’, also with a game in hand, remained in fourth place in the standings on 12 points and also has a game in hand.