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Waterhouse sweep aside Tivoli to take top spot in the RSPL

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Photo: Waterhouse forward Jermaine “Tuffy” Anderson protects the ball from Tivoli Gardens defender Barrington Pryce in their Red Stripe Premier League game played on Wednesday night. Waterhouse won the game 3-0. Anderson provided the assist for the second goal in the game.

Waterhouse FC showed their strength in depth to leap-frog Cavalier SC into top spot in the Red Stripe Premier League when they swept aside Tivoli Gardens FC 3-0 at the Waterhouse Mini-Stadium on Wednesday night. They produced a first half, three goal blitz, for which the West Kingston team had no answer, to claim all three points as they moved to 19 points.

After failing to go top last week when they were beaten 2-1 by Harbour View, despite leading 1-0 early, Waterhouse was determined not repeat their mistakes and let the chance slip again. They achieved victory despite playing without four of their regular starters who are away on national duty.

Waterhouse took the early lead through captain Damarley Samuels who fired past Edsel Scott in the eighth minute. Not allowing their opponents to settle, Waterhouse kept running at the Tivoli team and refused to allow them time and space to play the ball around on a properly manicured Drewsland surface.

The addition of Tremaine Stewart to the Waterhouse midfield has added pace to their “engine room” and his explosiveness was responsible for the second goal. The midfielder drove through middle of the field in the 29th minute, before combining nicely with Juvaune Benjamin at the top of the box. Sensing the danger, Scott left his line to stop the play but Stewart rounded the advancing keeper before composing himself to slot the ball into the back of the net with two Tivoli defenders retreating toward the goal line.

The fans were still celebrating when Kenroy Howell made it 3-0 in the 32nd minute. Another sweeping moving down the right flank, saw forward Jermaine “Tuffy” Anderson provide the perfect cross into the box for Howell to run onto and the forward fired home from close range past a hapless Scott in goal.

Howell had to be replaced by Adoah Nickle three minute before the interval because of injury.

Tivoli almost pulled one back on the stoke of half time when Shawn McKoy turned his marker inside the area before firing at the near post, but an alert Richard “Spoon” McCallum in the Waterhouse goal made a brilliant reflex save, to deny the striker.

The home team started the second half with serious attacking intent and Benjamin was denied twice by Scott in the space of a minute. A drive from distance by the forward had to be smothered by Scott on the half volley and sixty seconds later the goalkeeper did well to hold on to a fiercely struck shot from close range.

Tivoli tried to muster something in attack and Lennox Creary was left holding his head in the 54th minute. A nice give and go between himself and captain Keammar “Dada” Daley cut the Waterhouse defence open but the midfielder shot straight at a grateful McCallum who held on for dear life.

Playing like a mature unit, Waterhouse controlled the midfield through Samuels, Stewart and Evan Taylor, limiting the touches that Daley, Creary and Rohan Reid could have on the ball. Tivoli forward Navion Boyd had to drop off into midfield to get touches on the ball as the supply to him up front was limited.

Second half substitute Neiko Williams arrowed a shot towards the far post from the right side of the box in the 75th minute that Scott did well to save.

The game became a feisty affair late on and with the game already won by Waterhouse there was still time for a moment of madness from Tivoli defender Robert Williams. The defender who had already been cautioned in the first half, was shown a straight red card by the referee for violent conduct when he struck Samuels in the midriff.
Waterhouse coach Anthony Patrick was no doubt a pleased man at the end of game.

“The last couple of days we spent a lot of time with the players talking about getting the job done. We spoke about a lot of things and about keeping it positive. We were taking a lot of things for granted. We had become complacent,” he said.

“We came today and decided to play and hence you see the result. It feels good to be in front and this is what we want to do, now that we are in front we want to continue to stay in front for the rest of the season,” Patrick concluded.

Tivoli Gardens assistant coach Damion Gordon was left bemused by his team’s performance.

“We didn’t threaten Waterhouse at all tonight. We have a lot of work to do with the ball so we can step up. We were putting a nice run of games together so no one was expecting a game like this,” he lamented.

The win puts Waterhouse two points ahead of Cavalier who have 17 points with eight games played. Montego Bay United still have two outstanding games to play, while Sporting Central FC and Rivoli United have one each.

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