It is tightly bunched at the top of the RSPL

It has gotten tightly bunched at the top of the Red Stripe Premier League following the first loss of the season for league leaders Cavalier SC and second placed Waterhouse FC in the space of two day. The loss by Cavalier on Monday coupled with the loss by Waterhouse to Harbour View on Wednesday has seen the gap between first and third shrink to a mere three points.

Harbour View has probably been the biggest beneficiary from the loss by the top two as their three game winning streak sees them alone in third position and has seen them cut the gap on second place Waterhouse just one while that of Cavalier to just three.

With three games remaining in the first round for most teams, the league tables has finally begun to take shape with a top three, middle four and bottom five being established.

Lodged at the bottom of the table with a mere four points from eight games, Humble Lion has struggled badly since the start of the season with just one win and a draw to go with their six losses. Things will need to turn around quickly at the club if they are to escape the mire of a relegation battle.

Just above Humble Lion is the newly promoted Barbican FC on six points. The Junior Francis coached team has quite a few veterans in their squad and has not played badly in their first season of top flight football, but they have let games slip too often this season which has resulted in their poor league position. Their 3-3 draw with Sporting Central on Wednesday when leading 3-1 up to the 87th minute highlights the challenges facing Francis at the moment.

Sporting Central in 10th and Boys Town in 9th are tied on seven points and their Jekyl and Hyde performances since September has left them in the wrong half of the table. Both teams will be looking for a good run of games to close the first round and inch away from the danger zone.

Rivoli United had built up quite a head of steam and appeared to be headed towards the top of the league before back to back losses put a spoke in the wheel of the St. Catherine based team. Despite the loss of long time servant Devon Hodges at the start of the season, Rivoli has shown that they can perform without the former national striker with more players contributing to the goal scoring duties than before.

Calvin Fitzgerald will be hoping that the two losses are just a blip on the radar and that his charges will find back their form in short order.

Defending champions Montego Bay United endured a dreadful start to the defence of their title but three wins in four games has moved them on to 10 points and comfortably into mid-table. Playmaker Fabian McCarthy has been given the captains armband and while his team struggled at the beginning of the season without him, there is no coincidence with the results being obtained in recent times and his return to action for the Carlos Garcia coached team. Given the talent in their squad it is just a matter of time before Mobay United are back in and around the top four.
The middle of the table sees three teams, Reno FC who has just returned to top flight football, Arnett Gardens who led the league early and Tivoli Gardens who had a forgettable start to the season all locked on 11 points, separated by goal difference only.

While Tivoli Gardens has been moving in the right direction with three straight wins, their west Kingston rivals Arnett Gardens has had the exact opposite results with three straight losses seeing them slip out of the top four for the first time this season. Tivoli also has the advantage of a game in hand over Arnett and Reno.

While Alvin Shaw would have silenced some of the doubters as to his appointment as head coach of Tivoli, following the resignation of Glendon Bailey, Jerome Waite must now be feeling some of the pressure from the knowledgeable and expectant Arnett fans who are desperate for another league title.

Reno FC has surprised many and would have been regarded as relegation fodder at the start of the season, have been out of top flight football for…years. The former national champions have defied logic and sit in fourth place despite their patch display in their last five outings. Two losses have been interspersed with three wins to see them over taken by another former champion, Harbour View.

After suffering a heartbreaking 1-0 home loss to Arnett Gardens and a relatively poor start by their lofty standards, Harbour View has finally show some consistency which has propelled them up the tables as they now sit nicely in third position.

Coach Andrew Hines has had to endure much criticism from the Harbour View faithful early on, but has now been vindicated for his team’s playing style and his team selections as the Stars of the East has made steady progress up the charts and he now has the team playing almost exactly the way he wants.

Waterhouse was the last remaining unbeaten team in the league until they were sucker-punched at home by Harbour View. After taking an early lead in the contest, Waterhouse was unable to find a response to two goals either side of half time and have seen their lead over the third placed team cut to just one point. They however, have a game in hand over the other teams in the top four.

Cavalier who has surprised many by being top of the league, has shown great consistency with their only loss of the season coming in their last game. Technical Director Rudolph Speid will be hoping that his team will shake off that disappointment quickly and return to winning ways in their next encounter.

With five wins, two draws and a single loss in their eight games so far, Cavalier is proving to be good value for money and will be expecting to remain in at least the top four for the rest of the season.