Molynes United added to the woes of relegation-threatened Humble Lion FC as they clipped the struggling Clarendon-based team 2-1 in a tepid but decisive Wray and Nephew Jamaica Premier League (JPL) encounter at the Waterhouse Mini Stadium on Monday.
Lincoln Thompson’s 34th-minute own goal and a late strike from Rushawn Livingston in the 88th minute proved enough for Molynes United to secure a crucial three points after James Thomas’ 78th-minute header gave Humble Lion a glimmer of hope.
The win pushed Molynes United to ninth place with 21 points, while Humble Lion remain rooted to the bottom of the standings with 14 points.
Humble Lion started with purpose and showed early promise through Dashawn Plunkett and Stephen Barnett, who breached Molynes United’s defence, but both dragged their efforts wide.
In the 33rd minute, Odane Murray delivered a pinpoint cross that found Plunkett, whose glancing header narrowly missed the target.
However, just a minute later, Molynes United broke the deadlock against the run of play. David Hutchinson’s corner kick was deflected into the net by Humble Lion’s Thompson for an own goal.
Molynes went close to doubling their advantage before the break when Peter McGregor’s effort was blocked on the line by a defender, and Livingston’s follow-up shot went wide, as the score remained unchanged at the break.
The second half lacked spark for much of the game, with both teams struggling to create clear opportunities. Humble Lion went closest in the 75th minute when Kevin Graham’s near-post shot from a Plunkett corner was brilliantly saved by Molynes goalkeeper Darren Donaie.
However, the equalizer finally came in the 78th minute when Humble Lion’s goalkeeper Peter Harrison launched a quick throw to Livingston Walker, whose long cross from the left was expertly headed in by Thomas at the far post.
Just when it seemed the game would end in a draw, Molynes United found the winner in the 88th minute. Jason Wright’s perfectly weighted through ball found Livingston, who calmly fired past the advancing Harrison to secure the victory.
Humble Lion thought they had a lifeline in stoppage time when Afiba Chambers was brought down in the box, but referee Christopher Mason ignored the penalty appeals, as the Effortville team was left in disbelief.
Molynes United’s head coach, Jermaine Thomas, expressed relief at the victory, noting the importance of the three points in their push up the table.
“It was a tough one; as I said to you in the beginning, it was going to be tough because they are fighting relegation and they are at the bottom of the table, so we expected them to be difficult. But we fought, and I am really pleased with certain aspects of the game. There are some areas where we could have done better, but at the end of the day we got the three points, which is the most important thing,” Thomas noted.
Humble Lion’s recently appointed coach, Alex Thomas, who led the team from the sidelines without conducting a single training session, remained optimistic despite the loss.
“It didn’t go my way, but I am very pleased with the team; they showed that they can play good football. Unfortunately, we didn’t get that penalty call, but such is the nature of the sport. I didn’t have a training session, so it was more a show of my tactical expertise, and they did well, so now we will go into training and fix some things going forward,” he shared.