Photo: Portmore United goalkeeper Shaven Sean Paul goes up with a strong left fist to punch clear under pressure from Waterhouse forward Jermaine Anderson in the Red Stripe Premier League on Sunday. Portmore United came from a goal down to win 2-1 for their third straight win of the new season.
Portmore United continued their dream start to the Red Stripe Premier League season with a third win on the trot following an impressive come from behind 2-1 win away to Waterhouse on Sunday. The former champions fell behind to a Jermaine ‘Tuffy’ Anderson header midway the first half but responded through Ricardo Morris in the first half to draw level before Maalique Foster come off the bench to snatch the winner eleven minutes from time.
Waterhouse got off to a strong start and seemed as if they would score on just about every attack but were denied by some very good goalkeeping from Shaven Paul who literally kept his team in the contest.
Early in the half he put up a strong right hand to deny a fierce drive from Anderson before coming up with a good save moments later to keep out an effort from Kemar Beckford.
The home team kept attacking in waves and it was no surprise when they took the lead. A left sided free kick from central midfielder Nicholy Finlayson was headed home at the back post as Anderson rose powerfully to meet the cross in the 26th minute.
Former Reggae Boy Omar Daley then tested Waterhouse goalkeeper Richard McCallum moments later when he fired a shot to the near post but McCallum saved well with his feet.
Ricardo Morris then dragged his team back into the contest nine minutes later with a brilliant solo effort, bouncing off defenders as he drove past his opponents into the box before firing a low, left footed shot into the far corner, beyond the despairing dive of McCallum.
Both teams then had an opportunity to take the lead before the break but were unable to do so.
First Beckford tried to dribble around Paul inside the area when he should have shot and was eventually denied by the keeper and then a cheeky back heel from Lishmale Currie into the path of Ewan Grandison was rocketed towards goal bringing out another fine save from McCallum.
The chances kept coming for Beckford in the second half and he should have scored again almost straight from the restart but his point blank header was parried to safety by Paul once more.
Finlayson shot wide from inside the box when he should have put the home team ahead and got an even easier chance to do so from the penalty spot but his tame effort was well saved by man-of-the-match Paul in the Portmore goal.
At the other end Morris continued his personal duel with McCallum but the former national goalkeeper was not to be beaten by the midfielder again. Kenroy Howell laid one on a platter for Beckford when his brilliant through pass found him in acres of space inside the box. The forward set himself before firing on target but was again denied by the brilliance of Paul who dived to his left to tip around the post.
Finlayson was also enduring a nightmare in front of goal and saw yet another effort denied after being played in by Anderson. This time his effort was blocked when Upston Edwards threw his body at the goal bound shot.
Both teams continued to search for the winner and it was Foster who popped up late in the contest to secure all three points for the visitors. He pounced upon a poor attempt at a clearance from Omar Walcott to walk round an advancing McCallum and slot into an empty net as the dream start continued for the Geoffrey Hewitt coached team.
“From the pre-season we told the players that it has to be the focus of the team to work extremely hard, stay disciplined and maintain a high level of concentration and I think for the last three games we have done that and it was really evident in today’s game,” winning coach, Hewitt said.
Losing coach Clavert Fitzgerald said, “I thought the team played well for the first 30 minutes of the game. We kinda fell down in the last 15 minutes of the half, but we came back and played a fairly good second half. We continue to give up some simple opportunities at the back (and conceded) a very soft goal and then we got a lot of chances and we didn’t put them away hence the 2-1 defeat to us.”
Elsewhere, Tivoli Gardens lost at home for the first time this season, going down 10 to Humble Lion who got the winner through Dwayne Campbell five minutes from time. The UWI lost their third straight when they succumbed 1-0 to a Corey Burke in the 60th minute as Rivoli claimed their first win of the season, but the biggest result can in the Collie Smith Drive derby when Newton Sterling, playing in his first match for the club in over a year, had a first half hat-trick in his team’s 4-0 win over near neighbours and arch rivals Boys Town. Kemal ‘Tull’ Malcolm got the other goal for the defending champions.
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