Champions Arnett Gardens FC took advantage of reluctant Harbour View FC to nail them 2-0 in a Red Stripe Premier League night game at the Compound on Monday.
The victory for Arnett Gardens has moved them up three places to fourth on the standings with 10 points, while defeat for Harbour View have have kept them in seventh position on six points from as many games.
Following a blistering first half, Harbour View had Arnett Gardens scrambling to stay in the game, and in the process, they missed several goal-scoring chances.
Most of those efforts were long-range shots that screamed off the wet surface to the Arnett goal, with Claudious Blackburn, Nicholas Beckett, Kevaughn Frater, Keammar Daley and John-Ross Edwards leading the bombardment.
After weathering a torrid first half blitz from their hosts, Arnett Gardens returned for the second half better adjusted to the pace of Harbour View who continued from where they left off in the first stanza.
But with the underfoot conditions becoming firmer with late evening drizzle easing, Arnett Gardens began to come more and more into the game, and a couple of substitutions fired them up even more.
The speedy Kemal Malcolm replaced Lennox Russell to operate on the right of attack and later Newton Sterling was introduced to replace Andrew Phang.
The game then turned on its head 13 minutes later as Sterling found the go-ahead goal that put the champions enroute to victory. Vishinul Harris, who had a decent game in midfield, then made it certain from the spot a minute from time.
Winning Coach Jerome Waite, said: “Nothing should be taken away from Harbour View. Both teams played well. They had a better grasp of the underfoot conditions and dominated the first half that tested the Arnett Gardens team’s ability to endure punishment with some well struck long-range shots.
“Then we made three changes in the second half, which brought us the desired results… the score is a good sign for the Arnett team as champions as we have only given up one goal for the season against scoring nine, ” Waite pointed out.
Harbour View Coach Ludlow Bernard was unavailable for an interviews afterwards.
Teams:
Harbour View — Devon Haughton, Hugh Evans, Odane Samuels, Nicholas Beckett, Mark Miller, Jorginho James, Andrew Allen (Daminan Anderson 78th), Keammar Daley, John-Ross Edwards, Claudious Blackburn (Ranique Muir 66th), Kevaughn Frater.
Subs not used: Mark Bryan, Dejanni Isaacs, Bryan English, Oushane Martin, Khachief Mills
Booked: (66th), James (89th)
Arnett Gardens — Peter Harrison, Oniel Thompson, Dicoy Williams, Jabeur Johnson, Andrew Phang (Newton Sterling 68th), Jameel Thompson, Jason Moore, Vishinul Harris, Lennox Russell (Leon Strickland 73rd), Michaelos Martin, Steve Clarke (Kemal Malcolm 62nd).
Subs not used: Damian Hyatt, Jamar Martin, Jamar Jackson, Neicho Williams
Booked: Moore (11th), Jameel Thompson (26th), Martin (57th)
Referee: Damian Parchment
Assistant Referees: Stephanie Dale-Yee Sing, Nicholas Anderson
Fourth Official: Raymond Bogle
Match Commissioner: Garfield McDonald
Source: The Jamaica Observer