Arnett Gardens FC defeated Harbour View FC 3-0 at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex on Monday to secure a top-two spot and a place in the semi-finals of the Jamaica Premier League.
Arnett’s win moves their points tally to 52 from 25 games, meaning they can only be passed by Cavalier on goal difference in next week’s 26th and final game week before the playoffs.
Second-placed Cavalier moved to 49 points from 25 games after defeating Molynes United 4-2 in the first game of the Monday doubleheader.
Mount Pleasant, who drew 1-1 with Humble Lion on Sunday, are also assured of a place in the top four with 46 points while Harbour View are fourth with 43.
Harbour View will need to avoid defeat in their final game against Vere United to book their spot as Humble Lion are only two points behind them in fifth. Humble Lion will take on Waterhouse at the Waterhouse Stadium in their final game.
The rest of the games in week 26 will see Dunbeholden face Mount Pleasant at the Ferdie Neita Sports Complex, Molynes United face Portmore United at UWI, Arnett Gardens face Tivoli Gardens at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex, Montego Bay United face Cavalier at Wespow Park and Faulkland face Chapleton Maroons at Drax Hall.
Defending champions Cavalier got the new Jamaica Premier League season underway with a win against Arnett Gardens FC in an enthralling encounter at the UWI-JFF Captain Horace Burrell Centre of Excellence in Kingston.
Central defender, Jamoi Topey, gave Cavalier the lead in the 60th minute before Chavany Willis got an equaliser that he thought would salvage a draw in the 96th minute.
Cavalier forward Shaniel Thomas had other ideas as he slotted home a right-footed effort in the 97th minute to secure a win and three points for the two-time champions.
The second match on Sunday was also an exciting one between four-time champions Waterhouse FC and Montego Bay United, who have also won the title four times.
Montego Bay United took the lead in the 57th minute through Giovanni Reid before Waterhouse equalised in the 72nd minute through an Andre Fletcher penalty.
Waterhouse completed the comeback in the 81st minute through a goal from Devroy Grey. The action then shifted to Monday, January 17 with two more matches.
Dunbeholden FC and Vere United FC contested the first game with Dunbeholden securing a 2-1 victory.
They took the lead in the eighth minute through an excellent header from Atapharoy Bygrave before Lampard Neil tied things up for Vere in the 57th minute.
Substitute Jahmiel Hardware secured the three points for Dunbeholden with a well-placed free kick in the 92nd minute.
In the second match, goals from Warner Brown in the 42nd minute and Shai Smith in the 87th minute ensured that five-time winners Tivoli Gardens FC and seven-time winners Portmore United FC played out a 1-1 draw.
On Tuesday, four-time champions Harbour View FC and Molynes United FC played out a 2-2 draw thanks to double strikes from Trayvon Reid and Nicholas Nelson.
Nelson gave Molynes United the lead in the 42nd minute before Reid made it 1-1 in the 45th minute.
The 58th minute saw Nelson get his second to give Molynes United a 2-1 lead before Reid once again equalized in the 90th minute to ensure the points were shared.
In the second game on the day, goals from Daniel Green in the 14th and 43rd minutes, as well as strikes from Allan Ottey in the 17th, Ricardo Morris in the 45th, and Donovan Segree in the 90th helped Mount Pleasant FA secure the biggest win of the round, a 5-1 rout of Humble Lion FC.
Cory Hylton got Humble Lion’s consolation goal in the 83rd minute.
The second round of matches kicks off on Saturday.
Tivoli Gardens missed a glorious chance to book an automatic semi-final playoff spot when they were held to 1-1 by Molynes United in their Jamaica Premier League match at the UWI-JFF
Captain Horace Burrell Centre of Excellence.
Tyrique Wilson had given Molynes United a 79th-minute lead, tapping home from close range after a good team build-up and a cool finish from a Tyrique Sutherland pass. But just three minutes later, Stephen Barnett earned a share of the points for Tivoli Gardens when he headed home at the near post from a pinpoint Daveon Garrison cross in the 82nd minute.
Tivoli Gardens which started the day on 16 points could have gone joint top of the league with a win.
Tivoli Gardens’ assistant coach Dwayne Blake said they were very disappointed not to have grabbed the opportunity in securing a top-two spot and avoiding the quarterfinal playoffs.
“We are very, very disappointed,” said Blake. “Any team comes, we just have to take it and do what we have to do if we want to win the title.”
Molynes United with just one win all season remained second from bottom in 10th spot on seven points. Andre Daley, assistant coach of Molynes United, was the happier for the point
and believed they are building something better for next season.
“We put the ball down more and made some passes. We have some changes for next season but I am pleased with the performance today (Saturday). The youngsters came out and they played pretty well,” said Daley.
Tivoli Gardens charged into the Jamaica Premier League playoffs on the back of a brilliant hat-trick by Horatio Morgan in their 4-3 win over Humble Lion in their match at the UWI-JFF Captain Horace Burrell Centre of Excellence on Saturday.
The 22-year-old Morgan, who was scoring for the first time this season, opened the scoring with an overhead kick in the fifth minute and followed up with a thumping header in the 30th minute. Ten minutes later, he curled a beautiful right-footer for his third.
Lorenzo Lewin pulled one back on the stroke of half-time from a corner kick then teed up Andre Clennon for an easy tap home in minute 63. However, Devroy Grey restored Tivoli Gardens’ two-goal cushion after benefitting from a poor pass by Humble Lion’s goalkeeper Keneil Petri in the 85th minute.
It was Grey’s fourth goal of the season and he remained his club’s top scorer.
In time added on, Lewin popped up and slotted home for Humble Lion for his second goal of the match and ensured a nervous finish for Tivoli Gardens.
It was Tivoli Gardens’ fourth win from nine games which saw them jump from seventh to second spot with 16 points. They are level on points with leaders Waterhouse FC but second on goal difference.
The hapless and ageing Humble Lion remained firmly at the bottom of the 11-team league on six points following their eighth defeat from 10 games.
Tivoli Gardens will play Molynes United in their final preliminary round match next week and are fancied to secure a victory that would see them book a top-two spot and direct entry into the semi-finals.
Atapharoy Bygrave scored arguably the goal of the season that earned Dunbeholden FC a fortunate 1-1 draw with Tivoli Gardens in the feature match of the Jamaica Premier League at the UWI-JFF Captain Horace Burrell Centre of Excellence on Tuesday.
Romaine Bowers had given Tivoli Gardens a 9th-minute lead, slotting home from close range after William Benjamin parried Devroy Grey’s fierce shot into his path in the ninth minute.
But Bygrave picked up a ball just below halfline and unleashed a ferocious shot that sailed past the outstretched hands of goalkeeper Davin Watkins on the stroke of halftime in the 45+2 minute.
It was a wonder strike by Bygrave and it was just as impressive as his celebration where he
would have been given a 10 out of 10 for his somersault and perfect landing.
Bygrave’s goal was worthy of a share of the points although, in truth, Tivoli Gardens should
have won comfortably as they wasted a number of chances.
The long-awaited much-anticipated Jamaica Premier League kicked off Saturday with Mount Pleasant Football Academy and Tivoli Gardens battling to a 0-0 draw in the opening match at the Horace Burrell Centre of Excellence.
Just over 14 months since the JPL was cancelled because of the outbreak of the Covi-19 across the globe, football action returned to Jamaica but there were no goals to celebrate the occasion.
Each team had to be satisfied with a point but the Paul “Tegat” Davis-coached Mount Pleasant got the better chances and would have been the more disappointing of the two, having 10 shots on target compared to just two by their opponent.
Playing on the artificial turf on grounds of the University of the West Indies (UWI), the St Ann-based Mount Pleasant, sporting blue tops and white shorts, were quick out of the blocks and applied early pressure on the orange and black-clad Tivoli Gardens outfit from West Kingston.
Playing at left-back, Sue-Lae McCalla created the first chance for Mount Pleasant but his powerful header was tipped over by goalkeeper Kewong Watkins in the sixth minute. Two minutes later, McCalla stung the hands of Watkins with a dipping swerving shot from 25m but Cardel Benbow failed to tuck away the rebound.
Tivoli Gardens got their first shot on target courtesy of the 41-year-old veteran Jermaine “Teddy” Johnson, who saw his free-kick blocked by goalkeeper David Swaby.
Minutes later, Mount Pleasant’s Kemar Beckford cut inside his marker but fired high from just outside the box.
There wasn’t much goal-mouth action in the second half but substitute Francois Swaby latched onto a through ball in the 76th minute only to be blocked by goalkeeper Watkins who stood tall and blocked well with his feet.
Daniel Green also fired straight at Watkins from an angle but Tivoli Gardens held on for a point.
The Man-of-the-match was Trevaune McKain of Tivoli Gardens, who was lively throughout and showed good skill on the ball.
Phillip Williams, head coach of Tivoli Gardens in his second season, was satisfied with a share of the points.
“The youngsters really stepped up and played a decent game for us today (Saturday). Mount Pleasant is a good running team and the boys passed with flying colours,” said Williams.
Mount Pleasant’s head coach Davis was visibly disappointed with the result.
“This is football and when you get some simple chances like that, maybe six, seven chances against this Tivoli Gardens team…the guys were flat, flat, flat,” Davis pointed out. “This is football and we would have loved the three points but it’s the start of the tournament so one point is good.”
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