Harbour View made a grand effort to move back into the top half of the Red Stripe Premier League (RSPL) after a battling 1-0 win over Rivoli United at the Compound on Monday night.
John-Ross Edwards’ swerving shot from some 35 yards with 20 minutes remaining gave Harbour View their second win of the season after Corey Burke and Delon Dixon had efforts in the first half which threatened to derail Harbour View’s effort to climb out of the bottom half of the standing.
The win has taken Harbour View two places up to eighth place to join Rivoli (seventh) on 10 points.
The victors struggled in the first half to come to grips with a quick Rivoli United machinery and could have fallen behind as early as the 21st minute when the dynamic Burke executed a scissors kick from in the six-yard area which rattled the underside of the Harbour View crossbar.
The visitors never let up and continued to press forward in their quest for success and in so doing dominated their hosts by being more purposeful around the Harbour View goal area with Burke always a real threat with his speed.
Notwithstanding the speed and industry of Rivoli United, Harbour View stood their ground to see them through to the break without falling behind, although Dixon caused some anxious moments when his speculative chip shot from distance struck the top of the Harbour View crossbar with goalkeeper Devon Haughton left flat-footed on his line.
Harbour View, who were guided by former national players Donald Stewart, Ricardo ‘Bibi’ Gardner and Fabian Taylor on the night, in the absence of Ludlow Bernard, who was serving a match suspension, returned for the second half with a new impetus that knocked the gilt edge from Rivoli United and forced a corner kick soon after the resumption.
Hugh Evans also got inside the six-yard area to let off a shot from an angle that flew over the Rivoli United crossbar. With Harbour View now stringing their passes together with good effect the tides of fortunes broke in their favour and this signalled the death knell for the visitors.
Beckett was wasteful with a well-positioned free-kick. So too was a mobile Rosario Harriott who five minutes before John-Ross Edwards contrived the winner missed a good opportunity to put Harbour View ahead.
In spite of Harbour View’s industry Burke was still a threat. Then it happened. In trying to drive Harbour View backwards on their heels, Rivoli United left open spaces at the back and that spelt catastrophe. The always-on-the-hunt Edwards cradled a through ball at his feet before unleashing what turned out to be an unstoppable swerving shot that caught the Rivoli United goalkeeper off his line before landing in the top of his net.
Kevaughn Frater, who was wayward on the night, missed with six minutes remaining, while Jorginho James failed to put the game to bed.
TEAMS:
Harbour View — Devon Haughton, Ian Goodison, Rosario Harriott, Nicholas Beckett, Hugh Evans, Jorginho James, Odane Samuels, Keammar Daley, John-Ross Edwards (Bryan English 90th+2), Claudious Blackburn (Mark Miller 67th), Kevaughn Frater
Subs not used: Mark Bryan, Dejanni Isaacs, Ranique Muir, Allando Matherson, Daminan Anderson
Booked: Goodison (8th)
Rivoli United — Marlon Henry, Kemar Beckford, Raymond Williams, Kevin Graham, Liston James, Kenny Lee, Lenworth Pine (Kemar Lawrence 67th), Jeremy Nelson, Dellon Dixon (Troy Moulton 81st), Daniel Roberts, Cory Burke
Subs not used: Damian Campbell, Luke Soares, Dan Reid, Owen Walters, Odean Pennycook
Booked: None
Referee: Dwight Royal
Assistant Referees: Princess Brown, Melvin Reid
Fourth Official: Karl Tyrell
Match Commissioner: Garfield McDonald
Source: The Jamaica Observer