Howard Walker | Jamaica Observer
RSPL points champion to collect $1m after three rounds, says PLCA
CONTRARY to popular belief, there will be no prize money for the Red Stripe Premier League first and second round winners. Instead, that accumulated $1 million will be paid to the team that emerged with the most points after three rounds.
The popular End of Round finals have been scrapped by the organisers and Andrew Price, general manager of the Premier League Clubs Association (PLCA) on Sunday, told the Jamaica Observer why.
“The PLCA board and directors agreed that to reward the team that accumulates the most points after the three preliminary rounds we would present that team with $1 million for being the rounds champion,” he pointed out.
“Basically what we are looking at is utilising the funding that would have been given before the End of Round finals and pool that money together to give the team that have secured the most points as the champion of the rounds,” Price noted.
Harbour View ended the first round as champions recovering from a poor start in which they had one point from three games to emerge on top with 23 points, inclusive of winning seven of their last eight games.
Both Montego Bay United and Harbour View started the day on 20 points heading into the final fixture of the first round and while a late goal denied Montego Bay three points, Harbour View benefited from basically the last kick of the match to defeat Tivoli Gardens 1-0 at Compound.
Tivoli’s Dwayne Smith saw his well-taken free kick rebound off the upright and the ensuing counter-attack saw Brian Brown ramming home a beautiful left footer in the 90+3 minutes to steal a dramatic victory for Harbour View.
It was Brown’s seventh goal of the season, which puts him atop of the goalscoring chart ahead of Jermaine Anderson on six.
Harbour View winning coach Harold Thomas said it was a rewarding victory for the work they put in the first round.
“We started poorly but we worked hard and we always knew that hard work would pay off. It’s still a long way to go, especially with the new format, but what we will try and do is consolidate and continue to improve,” he noted.
Tivoli Gardens head coach Glendon ‘Admiral’ Bailey was livid after he instructed his team to play it safe and settle for a point with time running out.
“I think we played a good tactical disciplined game, but we had a breakdown in added time,” noted Bailey.
Tivoli Gardens, with three wins, six draws and two defeats, ended the round in fifth spot on 15 points.
Teams:
Harbour View — Devon Haughton, Xavean Virgo, Clifton Waugh, Dicoy Williams, Kemar Lawrence, Damarley Oliver, Keith Kelly (Ranique Muir 63rd), Joel Senior, John-Ross Edwards, McKaully Tulloch (Donovan Edwards 78th), Brian Brown.
Subs not used: Michaud Barrett, Kevaughn Frater, James Durrant, Shaun Dewar, Dejanni Isaacs.
Booked: Oliver (42nd), Edwards (55th), (90+3).
Tivoli Gardens — Edsel Scott, Christopher Jackson, Kasai Hinds, Ranike Anderson, Kemar Flemmings, Andre Morgan (Dawyne Smith 81st), Rohan Reid, Jameel Thompson, Andre McFarlene, Rafeik Thomas (Akeem Brown 80th), Navion Boyd.
Subs not used: Deron Duncan, Shawn McKoy, Shavar Campbell, Richard Allison, Robert Williams.
Booked: Anderson (9th), Scott (44th), Hinds (50th)
Referee: Kevin Morrison
Assistant Referees: Keeble Williams, Omar Mills
Fourth Official: Karl Tyrell
Match Commissary: Charles Barrett