Nicholas Beckett is fast developing the reputation of being one of Jamaica’s deadliest strikers of the dead ball in and around the goal area. The Harbour View skipper produced a peach of a free kick on Sunday to earn his team all three points against Cavalier in the Red Stripe Premier League and help them move up a spot to third in the league.
Beckett had produced a similar type of effort only a few weeks earlier in his team’s 2-0 win over Waterhouse.
In a game that the visitors bossed early on, Harbour View could have been behind by at least two clears goals at half time after a series of glaring misses by the goal-shy Cavalier team.
Beckett saw his opposite number Girvon Brown inexplicably miss from four yards before sending his warning late in the first half. His curler from 26 yards was expertly saved by Kadeem Davis and the visitors should have heeded the warning.
With fifteen minutes left in the contest and the scores still tied at 0-0, the midfielder stepped up to curl and 24 yards shot it the top corner of the net, leaving Davis stranded and producing what turned out to be the match winner for the Stars of the East.
The player even had time to fire another free kick, from a similar distance, against the crossbar, with Davis again beaten all ends up, shortly before the full time whistle.
Speaking with Yardie Sports after the match Beckett explained the secret to his success this season.
“I practice at least 50 shots every day in training. Now that Jermaine Hue isn’t here it is my responsibility to take the free kicks near to the goal. When he was here he used to take them, but I made the decision before the season started that I would take on the task.”
The win on Sunday solidified a top four spot for Harbour View which was the main objective ahead of kick-off.
“The win was very important for us to remain in the top four and be comfortable there. If we can keep winning then we can keep the pressure on the teams above us and see if we can reach the top.
Harbour View climbed above Waterhouse into third position on 29 points with the win, four behind second place Montego Bay United and six behind league leaders Arnett Gardens who have 35 points.
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