Waterhouse FC staged a dramatic comeback not once, but twice, to earn a hard-fought 2-2 stalemate with Cavalier FC in a lively Wray and Nephew Jamaica Premier League (JPL) clash at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex on Monday night. 

Andre Fletcher (47th) and Javane Bryan (90+5) were the heroes for the Drewsland-based team, whose resilience denied Cavalier full points despite Jalmaro Calvin’s first-half brilliance and second-half persistence. Calvin's brace in the 20th and 54th minutes, which took his tally to 10 goals this season, had Cavalier in pole position for victory, but defensive lapses in crucial moments proved costly.

Still, Cavalier’s Head coach Rudolph Speid and his counterpart Marcel ‘Fuzzy’ Gayle, though slightly disappointed at not claiming all the spoils, took heart from their respective team’s performance. This, as Cavalier remain fourth on 28 points, with Waterhouse a point behind in fifth.

In fact, Speid readily pointed out that every point counts, as the aim is to remain in a playoff position even as his players continue to recover from their Concacaf Caribbean Cup exploits.

“I was more pleased with how we played because I thought we bossed the game most of the time; it is just unfortunate that we didn’t win, but at least we are coming back to some semblance of form in terms of what we can do going forward,” Speid said in a post-game interview.

“We are still not fully fit as yet; some players are still getting over the fatigue, so I am not really too worried because it is not a league; it is really a knockout with six teams. So once we stay in there, I am good,” he added.

For Gayle, Waterhouse’s performance also represents a glimpse of their true potential and, by extension, a step towards their ambitions.

“I thought we were fantastic; I thought we started well because, as I said, Cavalier is a good team, so we had to be very disciplined, which we were for the most part, but we were unfortunate in conceding those two goals.

“They are almost like schoolboy errors at this level of the game, but we kept our heads in the game and we finished the game strong, which was very good. So there are a lot of positives to take away from the game,” Gayle shared.

Cavalier dominated the early exchanges, as they controlled possession and crafted incisive plays that left Waterhouse on the back foot. Their breakthrough came when defender Richard King delivered a pinpoint pass across the six-yard box for Calvin to slot past Waterhouse’s custodian Kemar Foster from point-blank range.

The goal energized Cavalier, and they nearly doubled their lead in the 42nd minute. Zackiya Wilks' back pass to Foster was poorly executed, and Calvin’s relentless pressing almost capitalized on the error.

However, the blocked effort trickled wayward, sparing Waterhouse further embarrassment before the halftime whistle.

Waterhouse emerged with renewed purpose in the second half and pulled level just two minutes in, when Fletcher finished a brilliant header off a deflected free kick, leaving Cavalier’s goalkeeper, Vino Barclett, rooted to the spot. 

Despite the equalizer, Cavalier maintained their attacking intent and should have regained the lead in the 52nd minute. Dwayne Atkinson dismissed his marker on the byline and delivered a dangerous cross that neither Calvin nor Shaquille Stein could convert.

However, Calvin made amends two minutes later when he calmly finished Kaile Auvray’s precise cross at goalmouth to restore Cavalier’s lead at 2-1. 

Waterhouse pushed for another equalizer and thought they had a lifeline in the 80th minute when Jaheim Brown was brought down inside the box. However, referee Daneon Parchment, on the advice of his assistant referee, awarded only a free kick on the edge of the area.

At that point, the game seemed destined for a Cavalier victory until stoppage time delivered high drama. Fletcher tested Barclett with a left-footed shot from outside the 18-yard box in the 90+4 minute, but the St Lucian goalkeeper stood firm.

Moments later, Cavalier failed to clear their lines from a scrappy defensive sequence, and Bryan, ever opportunistic, capitalized. The striker sporting the number nine jersey finished a firm right-footed strike from close range for his fourth goal of the campaign and sealed a crucial point for Waterhouse.