A most professional display by the “Stars of the East” distanced themselves from the main rival this season, Tivoli Gardens at the Railway Oval today.
Live Television was the perfect setting for the league leaders to carve out what was a near perfect performance against the Team that had defeated us twice this season by wide margins of 4-0 and then 3-0, just two weeks ago at the Compound.
Revenge is best served cold…it was a chilly atmosphere at the Edward Seaga Complex today as the Harbour View team came with one sole purpose…three points! After earlier this week inflicting a significant victory over Tivoli at their home ground by 1-0 in the return leg of the Red Stripe Champions Cup Quarterfinal courtesy of Lovel Palmer’s 53rd minute strike, as we existed that competition by 3-1.
It was twice as hard and a bigger bitter pill to swallow, when four days later we returned to the same scene to once again leave the Tivolities dumb-struck. They wondered out of their home venue miserably grumbling how we snatched victory on Wednesday only to again commit the unthinkable act by a greater margin in the most defiant style.
It began early in the first half when Christopher Harvey collected a ball all alone at the far post from Oniel Smith’s left-sided corner kick which was mis-kicked, to slam home from 6 yards. 1-0 at the break, Tivoli started busiest and drew level when the injured leftback Gregory Simpson was replaced at the interval by Ricardo Smith. Smith not yet into the pace of the game was outsprinted by Heron who squared well but our young goalkeeper Marvin Mundy could only deflect into the path of Jermaine Taylor at the far post who converted from a well placed shot back across the goal to equalise 1-1 after 49 minutes.
The class of the “Stars of the East” shun through the maze quickly as Richard Edwards slick ground pass released Lovel Palmer on the left flank to cross perfectly for the patient Kemeel Wolfe who timed his strike back into the goal’s opposite side immediately to silence the crowd in the 63rd minute.
The goal of the game would follow as a five pass sequence flowed from Oniel Smith down the rightside to Wolfe then Fabian Taylor who turned inside the heavily trafficked area and made his own space delicately. Nothing could have prepared the goalkeeper for the thunderous curling shot that would fly magnificently past his outstretched grasping right hand as it caressed the nylon netting behind him as he fell flat on his back, defeated by a stroke of sheer brilliance.
The television cameras replayed it from all three angles as if dazed by it magnificence and in no frame did the custodian have a ghost-of-a -chance to effect a save. Outclassed by brilliance, the twin towers of stability firstly Clifton Waugh and then Donald Stewart were relieved of their duties as Jermaine Taylor returning from a bout of the Flu and then Jermaine Hue added to the high calibre game now established.
Central Defender, Taylor quickly assumed a leadership role at the back alongside the now rock-solid Harvey and his namesake Hue trying to recover his best form orchestrated the attacking maneuvers going forward as Coach, Lennie Hyde seemed to modify his tactics.
Kavin Bryan and Fabian Taylor never eased the attacking pressure as Bryan once again beat the defenders but shot wide. Oniel Smith’s freekick was skimming just wide of the left upright while Hue’s cheeky 43 yards drive had the goalkeeper totally beaten but it drifted just wide of the right upright.
Unfortunately indiscretion got the better of valour, as their was still time for a Tivoli midfielder to be ejected for violent conduct against Richard Edwards, as the game came to an end signaled by Howard Stennett after 4 minutes of time added on.
Harbour View 3 Tivoli Gardens 1.
GAME POSTPONED:
With seven players invited to the Reggae Boyz squad to play against Switzerland in Fort Lauderdale on Thursday, March 23rd, 2007 Harbour View FC will most likely request a postponement of Wednesday’s game against newly achieved second place team Portmore United after the traveling squad is announced on Monday night.
OTHER RESULTS TODAY:
- Arnett Gardens 1 Reno 0
- Naggo Head 1 Waterhouse 0
- Boys Town 2 Wadadah 2
- Portmore United 2 Village United 1
- August Town 1 Seba 0