Marc Stamp | Jamaica Gleaner
Harbour View FC will face Defence Force of Trinidad and Tobago in a game of academic interest in the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Club Championship Zone Three, sponsored by Nestlé Supligen, tonight at Harbour View Stadium, starting at 7:30 p.m.
The host club suffered a heart-breaking loss to Alpha United of Guyana 1-0, courtesy of Kithson Bain’s 10th-minute strike.
That win was Alpha United’s second in the zone and ensured that they advanced to the semi-finals of the regional tournament.
Now, Harbour View, who had high hopes of qualifying, were eliminated alongside Defence Force. Both teams will meet for second place.
“We are very pleased as we put in hard work in preparing for the group stage. We came with a plan against Harbour View and stuck to it,” coach of Alpha United, Wayne Dover, told The Gleaner.
“We will take it one day at a time and concentrate on the semi-final round. We want to win the crown,” he shared.
A heart-breaking loss
On the other hand, coach of Harbour View, Harold Thomas, disclosed that “it was a heart-breaking loss”.
“Coming off that loss it is difficult to motivate the team, but the players must be ready for the next game,” Thomas said.
Meanwhile, another Jamaican club, Waterhouse FC, are on course for a place in the semi-finals, after winning two consecutive games. They will square off with Caledonia AIA in a top-of-the-table clash in Zone Two. Waterhouse must avoid defeat in order to qualify for the next stage of the tournament.
In Zone One, Bayamon FC and Unite Saint Rosienne are locked in a battle for a place in the last four.
The three zone winners will join defending champions, Valencia FC of Haiti in the semi-finals next month.
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Hurburn Williams | Jamaica Observer
HARBOUR View FC are out of the 2014 Caribbean Football Union Club Championship.
The two-time winners stumbled at their first hurdle going down 0-1 to Group qualifiers Alpha United FC of Guyana at the Harbour View mini stadium on Sunday.
This makes their game against Defence Force today at the Harbour View mini stadium a mere formality, as in the opening game on Friday, Alpha downed Defence Force of Trinidad and Tobago 2-0 to come out on top of the three-team group with a maximum six points.
Harbour View were apparently disgusted, disappointed, embarrassed even, to the point that no one from the bench was made available to talk to the press following the catastrophe.
Disappointed yes, but it was not for the wants of trying, more so, in the second half that Harbour View had failed to even salvage a point.
They lost mainly because they came up against a much better organised team, both offensively and defensively. Harbour View are known to be a very good team with a reputation for winning tournaments and according to Alpha coach Wayne Dover, “this was not a team that we could take lightly. We came here to qualify and what we did on the field of play had to be in line with that commitment.
“In basketball it is said that offence wins games but defence wins championships. So we had a commitment to fulfil,” he said.
With this mindset imbedded in their armory for success, after Alpha had scored an early goal in the 11th minute through their dynamic striker Kithson Bain, his second for the tournament, Harbour View had their work cut out.
And they responded amiably following the early setback by raising their game. Throwing down the gauntlet, the visitors were made to work assiduously to maintain their slim lead and they defended stoutly onward for all they were worth until referee Yadel Martinez sounded the whistle to end the ordeal.