Reported by Sports Analyst Clyde Jureidini
A 1st Round Clash Continued?
A highlight from the earlier clash in the Jamaica Premier League season between longstanding cross-town rivals Harbour View FC and Tivoli Gardens FC was a reversed penalty call. The instinctive penalty call awarded to Harbour View Football Club by main Referee, Alexi Perry, was later withdrawn after he instead chose to refer the decision to his FIFA Assistant Referee 1, Stephanie-Dale Yee Sing, at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex. To the confusion of many, that penalty was ruled inconclusive, then overturned. The game ended in a 1-1 draw between the 2 teams ahead of this 2nd round match up. How interesting was it that penalties became a deciding factor for these 2 teams once again?
Round 2: Harbour View FC vs Tivoli Gardens FC
The opening game of a double header was televised to a global audience, adding to the populated stands. A brisk start kicked off on a windy afternoon in the warm 3pm sun at the Jamaica College (JC) Ashenheim Complex. A left-sided play ended badly for ‘The Stars Of The East’. Goalkeeper Anthony Bennett was beaten to a ball at the near post and clattered into his former HVFC U13 teammate, Diego McKenzie, to concede a penalty. Tivoli Gardens FC put it away through experienced central defender Barrington Pryce to open the scoring early after 7 minutes of play.
As the game played on, Tivoli Gardens FC’s goalkeeper Nicholas Clarke soon began portraying signs of injury. Harbour View FC responded from a crisp passing sequence engineered by midfielder Demar ‘Quefa’ Rose who shunted his initial pass wide right to the streaking Colorado Murray. Murray collected a return pass, and his one-time aerial cross eluded both leaping central defenders to be perfectly headed home by Timar Lewis to level the score 1-1, like he did in the first round, after 24 minutes. The first half ended level.
In the second half, Harbour View FC threw in two sets of double-substitutions as Shamari Dyer and Cristojaye Daley came in, followed by Garth Stewart and Shawn Daley about 9 minutes later. Tivoli Gardens FC expertly took the lead once again as Barrington Pryce outfoxed the stationary Harbour View defensive line to glance home a left-sided free kick after 72 minutes to register his brace, 1-2. Following the second goal, during one of many pauses in the game by a hobbled GK Clarke, Harbour View players took an opportunity to huddle for a talk. The substitutes upped the game tempo, and the Harbour View unit looked like they had a revived intent to score.
Tactics were on full display. Tivoli Gardens FC slowed movements to restart play, and regular calls for medical attention by Goalkeeper Clarke added gaps in the game as the clock ticked. Their glacial pace became more regular each time Harbour View advanced. Referee Daneon Parchment checked his watch and warned about time wasting with shows of yellow cards; 11 minutes were added to the encounter.
Additional Time Decision
Within the action-filled additional time, a header by Shawn Daley was cleared from the goal in one of the Stars of the East’s attacks. Soon after, Garth Stewart outpaced everyone to a loose ball at the near post and was met by the gloves of goalkeeper Clarke. Harbour View FC earned a decisive penalty from Referee Parchment, on the brink of added time. Cristojaye Daley slotted the ball into the net from the spot in 11 minutes of added time to equalize for a second time, ending the eventful encounter with a 2-2 stalemate. Different day, different referee, and different decisions resulted in yet another draw. With this result, Harbour View FC remained in 4th position on 33 points while Tivoli Gardens FC sat at 10th with 19 points.
Teams Line Ups
Harbour View FC: GK Anthony Bennett, Ryan Wellington, Romaine Brackenridge (Shamari Dyer), Oshane Staple, Odorland Harding, Casseam Priestley, Jahshaun Anglin (Cristojaye Daley), Demar Rose (Garth Stewart), Rojay Smith (Shawn Daley), Timar Lewis, Colorado Murray
Substitutes: GK Romario Palma, Gavin Burton,Jay Jamieson,Saqlain Waul, J’Havier Lynch
Tivoli Gardens FC: GK Nicholas Clarke, Odean Pennycooke, Barrington Pryce, Christopher Matthews, Keno Simpson, Alton Lewis, Tkiven Garnett, Anthony Thompson, Tommy Lawrence, Nickalia Fuller, Diego McKenzie
Substitutes: GK Jahiem Orr, Nakeel Wright, Justin Dunn, Jah-neil Wray, Horatio Morgan, Rick-quan Coke, Tevin Brown, Howard Morris,Carlton Salmon