In an unattractive display of inconsistent football Harbour View again produced a below par first half performance against the maturing Invaders of Trelawny at the Compound this afternoon.
The result means that Harbour View has only scored one victory in their last six games when they played to a 4-2 win over Rivoli United. A record that reads as follows:
- 0-1 versus Reno
- 0-0 versus Star Cosmos
- 4-2 versus Rivoli
- 1-2 versus Waterhouse
- 2-2 versus Constant Spring
- 1-1 versus Invaders
The results reflect a current slump in form that has garnered only 6 points from the possible 18 points, 8 goals for and 8 goals against, twice we have not scored, twice we have scored only once, twice we have scored more than two goals, once have we not conceded a goal, twice we have conceded one goal,three times we have conceded two goals , Robert Scarlett has scored once,Lovell Palmer and Jermaine Hue has scored twice and Fabian Taylor has scored three times.
A first half that created very little excitement was punctuated by a 36th minute tap home on the line by an unchallenged Livingston Williams who benefited from a free header at the back post resulting from an indirect free-kick. The half ended Invaders 1-0.
A totally different Harbour View came out in the second half with a sense of urgency that signalled they came to play as Invaders packed their defence with six players and looked for the occasional counter-attack through ace forward Thomas Grant who gave the defenders a torrid time all afternoon with his blistering pace and shots on the run.
Coordination was smooth in midfield and flowing upfront, it peaked with the introduction of Conrad Hunt, Nicholas McCreath’s return and Kemar Petrekin was added culminating in a passing combination of Jermaine Hue finding McCreath whose shot goalward was blocked at the far post by custodian Richard McCallum for Fabian Taylor once again to follow through and score his ninth of the season.
The disappointed group of supporters filed out of the gates as they pondered the next game performance on the weekend against league leaders Waterhouse.
[hr]
HARBOUR VIEW AND CONSTANT SPRING PLAY OUT A 2-2 STALEMATE!!
On a damp and bumpy surface two ball -playing teams struggled to perform anywhere near their true potential game levels as combative midfield play dominated a gripping contest that produced four well taken goals.
The first ten minutes of the game belonged to the more assertive Constant Spring team that threw at least seven players into an attacking foray chanelled down the right flank in an obvious ploy to keep Robert Scarlett’s focus on defence and possibly force the youthful team into errors. The game plan worked but the final execution was poorly lacking on no fewer than four occasions early on as “The View” seemed resting on the blitz of the last round and as ardent fan Ossie “D’ remarked “ the Harbour View team is on it’s way from Half Way Tree to the game and hopefully would turn up for the second half” his lifelong friend and regular return visitor to Jamaica Cornel “Biggs” Delisser chuckled a bit embarrassed by the flimsy display while wondering if he was the ‘bad card’. This was not the team he had heard so much about and it was not.
Hit by injuries to many senior players Damion Stewart, Daniel Shaw and Jermaine Hue plus both Christopher Harvey and Luton Shelton absent away in Guatamala in the Olympic qualifier maens the new starting eleven was boosting five new players of which the midfield facing Constant Spring was again heavily dependent on youthful skills with very little experience but a heart of gold mixed with a heavy dose of commitment and motivation. Lovell Palmer rose majestically to head home a pass from Jomo Gordon at the far post when he had won a deflected header from Akeem Priestley’s corner kick to assume the lead midway the first half. The half ended 1-0.
In almost a duplicate of the first goal the deflected ball from a corner fell on the quite able right boot of Nicholas McMorris about the penalty spot for him to hammer home for the equaliser. With the entry of the injured Jermaine Hue after the sixty eight minute the coordination followed soon thereafter between Robert Scarlett and himself midway the opponents half as the rotation slipped the Constant Spring marker for Jermaine to advance towards the penalty area unopposed to deliver a telling bomb that had to be released from the grasp of goalkeeper Leighton Murray for the alert Fabian Taylor to tuck it home from 6 yards for his eight goal of the season ( second overall) re-establishing the Harbour View lead.
There was to be one more twist of fate in the ninetieth minute as the more than capable experienced defence allowed the quality of Markino Gillings to outfox them by slipping by Donald Stewart to get a clear shot at goal and piercing Leeroy Grey’s goal to again equalise at the death.
Harbour View 2 Constant Spring 2.
By virtue of this draw Harbour View and Waterhouse are level on 25 points at the top of the Premier League table. Waterhouse seemingly also dosing, lost 0-3 to Rivoli United.
ON THURSDAY NOVEMBER 27th AT 3:00 pm HARBOUR VIEW TAKES ONINVADERS F.C. OF TRELAWNY AT THE COMPOUND
[hr]
WATERHOUSE OUTSHOT HARBOUR VIEW BY 2-1 IN THE FIRST END OF ROUND FINALS
The hard running centre forward Uchewe Chinereye made all the difference at the Tony Spaulding Sports Complex this afternoon as his third minute strike was enough to put the determined “Stars of the East” on the backfoot early.
Try as they might it was not enough to plough their way back from another early strike after just eight minutes into the second half from the leagues’ leading goalgetter Kevin Lamey who accepted a most fortunate gift of a deflection from a right-sided square that fell at his feet before the surge of goalkeeper Leon Gordon could shut it down.
Waterhouse 2 Harbour View 0.
The fight, effort and slick ball movement of the Harbour View aggregation was thwarted in the first half by aggressive tackling by the Waterhouse team from the start as three blatant fouls were committed in the first two minutes before a pass from midfield was chased by the lanky Nigerian as he outsped Christopher Harvey to the left of the penalty area before eluding Gordon in goal by slipping it inside his near post for the first blood. Newly invited National midfielder Jermaine Hue orchestrated the moves assisted by Robert Scarlett, Fabian Taylor and sprints from Luton Shelton but dominance was slow to become penetration. As the half ended Waterhouse responded with the consistent runs down the right flank with Chineyre the target and the motivator as national defender Damion Stewart had his hands full.
The second half saw a reshaped Harbour View unit takeover the game with more coordination that clearly unsettled their opponents but yet again the penetration came long after when a snap shot 32 yards out from young Lovell Palmer rippled the back of the net to the surprise of the packed crowd. Two minutes later a four man move found Taylor at the top of the box who slipped it left for Scarlett but his feeble shot trickled wide of the far post with Loxely Reid beaten. A minute later a diagonal pass from William Richards found the head of Palmer infront of goalkeeper Reid only to see his header slide past the upright, somehow it seemed the game had slip by with the effort and so it remained to the end save for one moment of high drama in the 90th minute.
With the clock ticking away a last gasp effort from Harbour View was to pick out Scarlett inside the area amongst four defenders as he turned sweetly goalwards he was tripped as Waterhouse scrambled the ball away. Fabian Taylor rushed the referee and all eleven players vehemently demanded a penalty but Howard Stennett said play on much to the disappointment of the supporters, players and management staff as a good game stumbled to a rather frustrating end.
Congratulations Waterhouse as the End of First Round Champions
PORTMORE UNITED DEFEATS RENO BY 5-2 IN THE JFF UNDER 21 FINALS.