Photo: Tevin Shaw (left) and Shamar Nicholson wil play key roles for Tivoli Gardens FC and Boys Town FC respectively in their Red Stripe Premier League game on Sunday at the Barbican Field.
Humble Lion FC became the first team in the Red Stripe Premier League this season not to fall from the top of the table the week after going to the summit, when they played out a 1-1 draw with Portmore United last weekend.
This week they aim to remain top for a third week running when they take on second place the UWI FC who are equal on 13 points but trail on goal difference only, after six match days.
UWI have been doing surprisingly well in their sophomore season in the league, putting together a string of three wins on the trot and amassing 10 points from their last four games, the same amount as Humble Lion.
UWI is a team that travels well and will hold no fears of the Effortville Community Centre as they aim to do the unthinkable and go top of the RSPL. It will be a tough task however, as the home team have set their sights on going all the way this season and will see today’s encounter as a must win game in order to separate themselves from the chasing pack as well as the visitors themselves.
Donovan Dickie’s team has a lot of premier league experience and will look to take the game to the UWI who is coached by second year RSPL head coach Marcel Gayle. The home team will start favourites but will take the visitors lightly at their own peril.
While Humble Lion and UWI battle for top spot, newcomers Jamalco FC will travel to the home of former champions Arnett Gardens in a third versus fourth matchup at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex.
The Clarendon based team have picked up a single point from two games since going top of the league and will be looking to get back to winning ways but must defeat a team that very rarely loses at home in order to do so.
Jerome Waite prides himself on getting victories at the “Complex” and will look to take it to the newcomers who lead them on goal difference in a tightly contested RSPL race.
Both teams are locked on 10 points and play a similar attacking type of football which may lead to a glut of goals this afternoon.
Montego Bay United are also on 10 points and host a resurgent Waterhouse FC who have won two on the bounce to move into 10th position, following a 4 game losing streak to start the season. Waterhouse climbed out of the relegation zone last weekend and will be looking to push further up the tables with a win at Wespow Park.
That particular ground has not produced favourable results for the visitors in recent attempts however and they will be wary of a team that has let it slip in the last two games and must now be looking to sure up things at home. Three teams are bunched up on ten points from third to fifth and a win today could see Mobay United slip away from this small pack.
Reno FC who have eight points and are in seventh position, hosts 9th place Marverley/Hughenden who are a point behind in the tightly bunched league.
Both teams were at or near the top of the table in the opening weeks of the season but have slipped into the lower half as points have been hard to come by. Reno halted a two game losing skid with a draw on the last match day, but must now be looking to win at home at the Frome Complex to start heading in the right direction once more.
Marverley have drawn two games on either side of a loss to pick up four points from their last five games for a total of seven so far. They are just two points above the relegation zone and will be eyeing maximum points today.
The television game is a mouth-watering West Kingston derby featuring Boys Town and Tivoli Gardens at the Barbican Complex. Tivoli is now being guided by Omar Edwards who spent over a decade at Boys Town, where he was understudy to Andrew Price. He will know all the ins and out of the Collie Smith Drive team.
A number of former Boys Town players made the trek to Tivoli Gardens with coach Edwards which adds to the intrigue of what is always a blockbuster when these two teams meet.
The late game will take place between hosts Harbour View and Portmore United at 7:00pm. Harbour View have picked up just four points all season and are currently rooted to the bottom of the table. A win is a major priority for the Stars of the East who are slowly getting their senior players back.
Portmore have not been particularly good this season either and may just be there for the taking at the Harbour View Mini-Stadium, but a draw is also likely between teams that are struggling in front of goal. Portmore has managed 5 goals all season while Harbour View have a miserly two goals in six games. A low scoring game is expected here.
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