Photo: Goal scorers collide! Montego Bay United goal scorer Owayne Gordon is challenged for the ball by Arnett Gardens goal scorer Kenniel Hyde during their Red Stripe Premier Legue encounter at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex on Sunday. Gordon scored the opener in the 21st minute before Hyde drew his team level in the 43rd minute. Leon Strickland then hit the winner two minutes into stoppage time at the end of the first half, as Arnett Gardens ran out 2-1 winners.
Defending champions Arnett Gardens FC scored a come from behind 2-1 win over former champions Montego Bay United FC at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex on Sunday to swap places and move up to second, while Mobay slipped to third in the standings with just two sets of matches to be played in the regular season.
Goals from Kenniel Hyde in the 43rd minute and Leon Strickland in time added on in the first half sealed the points for the champions after they fell behind to a Owayne Gordon strike in the 21st minute.
Arnett Gardens had the better of the early exchanges, maintaining possession and pushing the visitors back but it was their goalkeeper that had to make the first save of the game when Dino Williams stung the palms of Peter Harrison with a fierce drive from close range. The keeper did well to hold on to the shot.
A minute later Andrew Phang answered for the home team but his tame effort went just wide of the post.
A neat bit of skill from Marvin Morgan almost gave the home tem the lead in the 15th minute, when the former St. Georges College player flicked up the ball in the air and rifled a volley on target, but Mobay United keeper, Romaine Bowers, was equal to the task.
The visitors took the lead six minutes later when Gordon cut inside his marker down the right flank, before firing a left footed grounder into the corner of the net and move his tally to a chart topping 16 goals for the season.
The home team went in hunt of the equalizer and Oniel Thompson almost caught out Bowers when his innocuous lofted free kick was caught by the strong afternoon winds and almost found its way into the back of the net.
Just when it seemed that Mobay would go into the break with the lead, Hyde struck. The midfielder floated a shot towards the top corner of the goal and it hung in the breeze before falling into the net, over the head of Bowers to make it 1-1, with two minutes left on the half time clock.
But Arnett were not satisfied with just one goal and found the go ahead goal in the second minute of added time, at the end of the first half. A left sided corner kick, from the hard running Kemal ‘Tull’ Malcolm, was met by the head of the experienced Strickland, who nodded home at the near post to make it 2-1 at the break.
Arnett Gardens began the second half on the front foot and Malcolm used his impressive speed to lead a counter attack just five minutes after the restart but his cross intended for Strickland was cut out just in time by an alert Bowers.
Three minutes later, first half substitute Neicko Williams saw his thunderous left footed effort go inches wide of the right upright.
Both teams continued the hunt for goals, with the home team looking the more threatening as the Mobay United midfield failed to challenge the Arnett defence on most occasions.
With 10 minutes left on the clock, Arnett had a glorious chance to kill off the game but Malcolm got in the way of his teammate Dicoy Williams, with the empty goal gaping.
Two chances then fell to the visitors in the space of three minutes. First a loose ball fell to Orlando McBayne just outside the area but he scoffed his effort wide, before Harrison made a good save to deny Gordon whose turn and shot, on a dime, could have caught him out at the near post in the 85th minute.
Desperate to claim at least a point from the game, the visitors then threw everything, including the kitchen sink at the home team, but Arnett managed to see out a nervy four minutes of added time to move up to second place on 57 points, three behind leaders Portmore United who also won their game over Waterhouse, by a goal to nil.
“It was an overall good tactical game from both teams,” said Arnett Gardens coach, Jerome Waite.
“Mobay is a team that plays excellent tactical football, but today it was about Arnett. To see the team come from behind, it’s a positive for them. Both teams were missing key players but despite that we came up big.”
Losing coach, Paul ‘Tegat’ Davis was not overly concerned by the loss to Arnett Gardens.
“It was a pretty good game. We have seven players out. We put out some make shift defenders and they stood well. Had we gone in 1-1 at half time I think it would have been a different second half.”
With just two games left in the regular season, Davis made it clear where his focus now lies.
“We are going to get ready for the semi-final now. We have seven players out, we are going to get them fit and ready, yellow cards and injuries…so we are going to get them ready for the semi-finals,” he insisted.
If Portmore manages to hold on to first place and top the regular season, then these two teams will meet again in the semi-finals. In the last four encounters between the two, including last year’s finals, Arnett has won three while the other ended in a draw.
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