Andre Waugh, the Portmore United technical director, said the club and its players live for the big moments in the Red Stripe Premier League (RSPL).

Portmore, second in the RSPL with 37 points from 19 games, are scheduled to square off against fifth-placed hosts Harbour View FC in the live televised RSPL Monday Night match, starting 8:40 pm.

Harbour View are fifth with 26 points.

Playing away from home, Harbour View thrashed Portmore United 3-0 when the teams met during the first round in November.

But Portmore, five-time national champions, have been impressive outside of that, registering 11 wins from 19 matches.
“They had the better of us 3-0 in the first game, but it is what it is. We are a footballing organisation and we live for big games. Big games are for big players and big clubs,” Waugh told the Jamaica Observer during Thursday’s RSPL press conference.

He said his team is confident going into the fixture, but he explained that there is plenty of respect for Harbour View.

“We’re really looking to go out there and give a good show and hopefully that can bring the desired result. There is no fear, but certainly there is respect because it’s a big fixture in local football and we’re hoping the fans come out and support and create a good atmosphere for football.

“We prepare with a mentality to ensure that after the game there are no what ifs. Certainly on the pitch we demonstrate that type of attitude, that type of passion and that type of drive to get the best possible result,” Waugh said.

The head coach of Harbour View FC Ludlow Bernard said his team will not be taking Portmore United lightly, despite the one-sided result in their first clash.

“We are not under-rating Portmore’s ability. The fact that they are second in the table suggests they have been doing something fantastic. They may have had a bad game when they played us the last time, but clearly it’s not a game to be taken lightly.

“We do view Portmore United as a quality team and we do prepare for each team on merit. So this morning we would have been putting in specific work to enable us to bring a game suited for Portmore. We defeated them in the first round and there are many lessons from that game, many things from that game that I’m sure both we and Portmore would be looking at,” Bernard explained.

He said the four-time champions are aware that the tightly-bunched teams in the middle of the points table means a win or a loss can have a noticeable change on the positions.

“In mid-pack, three points can make a big difference between two or three places in the standing. We have the comfort of playing at home and that would boost our confidence. I think we can do it and getting these points would help to push us further in getting to the top four,” said the Harbour View coach.

Source: The Jamaica Observer