Montego Bay United’s title ambitions continued to gather steam on Monday night as the Western outfit dispatched 10-man Racing United with a commanding 3-0 victory in a lively Wray and Nephew Jamaica Premier League clash at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex.
Led by a captain’s brace from Owayne Gordon (11th and 89th) and a clinical strike from returning midfielder Peter-Lee Vassell (82nd), Montego Bay United kept their foot firmly on the gas in the playoff race, as they further consolidated their hold on second place with just weeks left in the regular season.
The result sees Montego Bay United rise to 72 points, five clear of third-placed Arnett Gardens (67 points) and sticking close to table-toppers Mount Pleasant (81 points), who have already confirmed a semi-final berth. Racing United, on the other hand, may now be facing a steep climb in their pursuit of playoff football, as they remain eighth on 48 points, still four adrift of sixth-place Waterhouse, who hold the final postseason berth.
Montego Bay United's head coach, Paul 'Tegat' Davis, is happy that his team remains defensively solid and creatively sharp, especially with the season now at its business end.
"As I said before, we knew they were going to come at us, and we just have to take our chances. The thing with this (Racing) team is that they never stop running, and they are playing football. Nevertheless, my team did what they had to and secured the three points, but one of the things that we have to work on is how best to manage a game when playing against a team with 10 men," Davis said post-match.
Racing United's assistant coach Paul Walker is hoping his team can rebound.
"I think the guys got tired knowing they are one man down, but that is football, and we just have to pick up the pieces and come again," he stated.
The tone of the match was set early, and dramatically, when Racing United’s Romaine Bowers was shown a straight red card in just the 10th minute after bringing down the lively Jourdaine Fletcher on a dangerous break. Gordon wasted no time punishing the St Catherine-based side, as he calmly converted from the 12-yard spot to notch his seventh goal of the season and give his team a 1-0 lead.
Before that, Racing had shown early signs of intent, most notably in the ninth minute when Ranaldo Biggs unleashed a stinging left-footed free kick that forced a smart save from Montego Bay goalkeeper Davonnie Burton.
But the red card proved a major turning point, as it allowed Montego Bay to settle into their rhythm and dictate the tempo for the remainder of the contest. Though Racing remained competitive and carved out a couple of half-chances, one of which was Jevaughn Cole’s tame effort in the 64th minute, they struggled to truly threaten with a man down.
Montego Bay, on the other hand, bided their time and turned the screws late in the match. First, Demario Phillips played provider, as he threaded a clever pass to substitute Vassell, who marked his return to the local top-flight league with a composed finish to double the lead.
With Racing on the ropes, Gordon fittingly had the final say. The captain latched onto a pinpoint pass from substitute Brian Brown and rifled home his second of the night to seal a dominant win and take his season tally to eight goals this season.