Arnett Gardens continued their relentless march in the Wray and Nephew Jamaica Premier League (JPL) when they defeated Harbour View 2-1 at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex on Monday.
The victory marked the "Junglists'" sixth consecutive win and extended their unbeaten streak to nine matches, once again solidifying their place as serious title contenders in the extended campaign.
Warner Brown's 19th-minute penalty and Kimani Arbouine's clinical strike in the 57th minute provided the goals for Arnett Gardens, who moved to second in the standings on 27 points, just one behind leaders Mount Pleasant FA (28 points).
Oquassa Chong’s penalty in the 70th minute gave Harbour View a glimmer of hope, but their struggles continued as they recorded their seventh loss in 13 games, leaving them in 11th place with 12 points.
Arnett Gardens’ assistant coach, Garnett Lawrence, lauded his team’s consistency.
“We played well in the first half, but the second half was patchy because we had to make some changes after the two-love lead because we wanted to keep the legs fresh because we have a very important midweek game. It’s a very long season, so we have to rotate the players, and things are looking up so far—six wins in a row, and we are looking for more,” Lawrence declared.
Arnett Gardens set the tone early with an aggressive approach as Brown, one of their standout performers this season, had his header tipped over the bar by Harbour View’s goalkeeper Demelcio Fer in the opening minutes.
The visitors struggled to match Arnett’s intensity, and their defence faltered when Shai Smith's cross in the 19th minute was handled in the box by Garth Stewart. Brown confidently converted the resulting penalty for his sixth goal of the campaign.
Both teams had sporadic chances before halftime, but Harbour View failed to register a single shot on target at that point, while Arnett Gardens missed opportunities to extend their lead.
Arnett Gardens maintained their attacking momentum after the break and doubled their lead 12 minutes into the resumption when Arbouine also registered his sixth goal of the season. The ever-reliable attacker, sporting the number 12 jersey, won possession on the flank and drifted to the right of his marker to make space for a powerful right-footed shot past a diving Fer.
The “Junglists” nearly added a third moments later when Deandre Cunningham's pinpoint cross found Marlon Allen, but his free header sailed over the crossbar.
Harbour View finally found some life in the final third in the 70th minute, albeit from the penalty spot, as Chong calmly slotted home the 12-yard kick after Andre Fagan was brought down by Alton Lewis.
Chong’s sixth goal of the season briefly ignited hope for the “Stars of the East," who went close to pulling level in the 77th minute. Rohan Brown latched onto a pass from Demar Rose, only to send his effort into the side net.
David Reid also tested Arnett Gardens’ goalkeeper Roje Williams in the 80th minute, but Williams held firm.
Stewart also tried his luck from distance, but Williams parried the shot to deny the visitors a share of the spoils in time added.
Despite flashes of promise, Harbour View’s interim coach, Donald Stewart, lamented his team’s inability to capitalize on chances.
“I’m still proud of the team in terms of the fight, and we showed a lot of tenacity, which was also good because we created chances, but we just didn’t make use of the opportunities. I think our biggest problem since the start of the season is in the final third in terms of our decision-making,” Stewart noted.