Photo:Former Portmore United defender Rosario Harriott has added stability to the back line for Harbour View.
Waterhouse FC leads the Red Stripe Premier League by six points, but former champions Harbour View FC will be looking to cut the gap back to three points, when they travel to the Effortville Community Centre to take on the wounded animal, Humble Lion at 5:00pm today.
Harbour View is the form team in the league, with four consecutive victories pushing them into second place from mid-table, in a few short weeks. Third place Cavalier lost to Waterhouse on Monday night so the Stars of the East will be looking to consolidate their spot behind the leaders and open up a gap between second and third at the same time.
Humble Lion has had a poor start to the season but six points out of a possible nine in their last three encounters, has moved them off the bottom of the table and within a point of 10th place Boys Town. A home win could see them move up into mid-table but the “Lion” will be weary of the Andrew Hines coached team that has been finishing the round quite strongly.
Arnett Gardens started the season strongly and there was strong talk of winning the league coming from the “Junglists” early, however three straight losses has seen them slip to fourth position. A win last match day saw them put an end to that miserable run and now they will be looking to start heading in the right direction once more.
Their challenge today however may prove to be a difficult one as they travel to Wespow Park to take on the defending champions, Montego Bay United, at 3:00pm. The champions will still be smarting from the loss to Reno in the FLOW Champions Cup final on Sunday and coupled with their indifferent start to their title defence, will see three points as priority.
Mobay will still be missing Fabian McCarthy who is away on international duty at the CAC Games. His absence from the midfield has been glaring, but other players will need to step up if the Carlos Garcia coached team is to move up from their mid-table position.
Reno FC with the red hot Craig Foster, travel to Juici Park to face Sporting Central at 3:00pm with three points on the agenda. Foster leads the league’s goal scoring chart with 10 goals and his hat-trick on Sunday helped his team knock off premier league champions Montego Bay United in the FLOW Champions Cup final. A win today will see them go above third placed Cavalier which must prove a huge incentive for the Westmoreland based team.
Sporting Central had a bright start to the season but they failed to maintain their early season form which has been patchy at best in the past few weeks. Three points at home will go a far way to raising confidence in the camp with just one more game after today, to end the first round.
Rivoli sits in 7th position on 11 points in a tightly bunched mid-table. A win over the struggling Boys Town at Prison Oval could see them move up a place or two depending on other results today. Corey Burke has taken up the goal scoring mantle for the club since the departure of club legend Devon Hodges, he has 7 goals to date and is currently second in the goal scoring charts.
Their opponents Boys Town, are perilously close to the drop zone, a position that has become all too familiar for one of Jamaica’s most storied clubs. A strong close to the first round must be on the mind of coach Andrew Price and a win today would move the Red Brigade into a more comfortable mid-table position.
Tivoli Gardens travels to bottom club Barbican FC who will be playing on their home ground for the first time this season. The West Kingston based club had a torrid start to the season but was headed in the right direction when they put a run of three straight wins together. Back to back defeats have dented their good work and seen them fall back to 8th position, but they must now start again in their bid to climb the tables.
Barbican has struggled to cope in the league despite good enough performance on occasions. Six points from nine games is not the type of returns Junior Francis would have been hoping for, but the experienced coach still believes his team has got what it takes to finish above the relegation zone this season.
Francis will be hoping that the comforts of home will bring them three points as they seek to avoid being cut adrift at the end of the first round.
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