Gray brings gloom to Harbour View party

Photo: Hughan Gray celebrates after scoring the winner for Waterhouse over Harbour View on Monday night

On a night when Red Stripe Premier League leaders Harbour View announced a new sponsorship deal with Grace Kennedy worth $1million dollars, Waterhouse FC continued to add the woes of the defending champions on the field of play.

Photo: Hughan Gray celebrates after scoring the winner for Waterhouse over Harbour View on Monday night

On a night when Red Stripe Premier League leaders Harbour View announced a new sponsorship deal with Grace Kennedy worth $1million dollars, Waterhouse FC continued to add the woes of the defending champions on the field of play.

The Stars of the East have hit a bad patch recently and went into the game on the back of three losses (two in the league) but with a four point cushion over second placed Montego Bay United and six above their opponents.

The game started as brightly as the night did for the league leaders when Mckauley Tulloch found the back of the net with a neat finish, following a perfect pass from the boots of Nicholas Beckett, with less than sixty seconds on the clock.

But it took Waterhouse only eight minutes to level the score when new signee, the Haitian Chedlin Francoeur hooked an effort home after being given space inside the box. It was his first goal for the club in only his second appearance.

The slippery underfoot conditions, caused by late evening rain, made it difficult for both teams to play their usual passing game but this did not deter either of them from trying do just that.

Romario Campbell was the most outstanding midfielder for Waterhouse in the first half and he combined well with Francouer to create a few half chances for his team. His opposite number, Beckett along with Keith Kelly did their best to do likewise for the striker partners of Tulloch and Brian Brown in a fast paced and bruising contest which produced seven yellow cards.

The visitors stunned the home crowd when Gary McIntosh ghosted in behind the defence to head home from a left sided free kick. It was another poor bit of defending from the champions and the Anthony Patrick coached team held the lead to the break.

Harbour View started the second half with a clear game plan to attack down the flanks and were particularly successful when going down the right. Xavian Virgo was able to get into attacking positions from right back and delivered a few telling crosses before his persistence resulted in his team’s equalizer.

Another good cross whipped in from the right by Virgo caused the Waterhouse defence problems once again and following a scramble, Brown was able to get the ball to Tulloch who rifled home from just inside the area to get his second on the night and bring the scores level with exactly sixty minutes played.

Harold Thomas signaled his intensions to go for the win when he inserted the pair of Demar Rose and Martin David both of whom are 17 years old and played in the recently concluded Manning Cup for Wolmer’s and St. Georges College respectively. Their energy in midfield gave the home team the ascendancy which had been wrestled from them by Campbell and Damarley Samuels.

Waterhouse made an offensive change of their own when they brought in Juvaune Benjamin for McIntosh and he spurned two gilt edged chances to win the game for his team. The first came with fifteen minutes left in the game when he had a chance to shoot in an empty goal with Michaud Barrett already beaten. He delayed too long and the defenders closed to spaces making the angle tight and he eventually shot wide.

Benjamin  missed another sitter when he intercepted a pass meant for Barrett  after Virgo chested the ball back in the direction of the keeper.  His lobbed effort went over the crossbar as the big burly figure of Barrett closed down on him.

The game seemed destined for a draw after those misses but Benjamin outsped the Harbour View defence before he  was brought down just inside the area by Kemar Lawrence in the 90th minute. Hughan Gray held his nerve to shoot low to the keepers right from the penalty spot to earn his team three massive points as the game ended 3-2 in favour of the Drewsland team.

Gray who got the game winner said he felt no pressure ahead of the kick, “since ‘Tuffy’ (Jermaine Anderson) left, I have become the regular penalty taker, so I felt no pressure.  I knew I would score it.”

Waterhouse who are now on 34 points, moved up a place into second position with the win and are now just three points off the leaders Harbour View who remain on 37 points.