NIGHTMARE!
Portmore United can’t keep clean sheets
Shavar Thomas, head coach of defending champions Portmore United, said he is deeply concerned that his team is giving up too many goals in the Red Stripe Premier League competition this early in the season.
Thomas’ comments came following their exciting 4-3 comefrom-behind win over FC Reno at the Spanish Town Prison Oval yesterday. Portmore were led to victory courtesy of a brace from striker Javon East in the 44th and 54th minutes. Ricardo Morris (56th) and Rondee Smith (73rd) were the other goalscorers for Portmore. Thorn Simpson (10th), Renorio Downswell (24th) and Javier Brown were the scorers for the Westmoreland-based Reno.
Portmore have now conceded five goals in their last two games, this after their come-from-behind 3-2 victory over Dunbeholden last week. Thomas said that this is a major bother for his team and he will have to rectify this pretty soon if they are going to retain their title.
“We pride ourselves on keeping clean sheets, and to give up five goals in two games, that is too much for us,” said Thomas. “Winning championships has to start from keeping clean sheets, and our players knows that, and we pride ourselves on this. This is something that we have to rectify in training,”he said.
Meanwhile, Godfrey Drummond, head coach of Reno, blames his team’s defeat on poor defending.
“We gave up some silly chances because we made some schoolboy errors,” said Drummond. “We gave away the ball and we made bad passes when we were in transition. I think when you are playing against the defending champions, you are always going to be up against it if you make mistakes like these,”Drummond said.
Thorn Simpson gave Reno a shocking lead when he arrived at the back post to fire home a cross from Romone Plummer past goalkeeper Kemar Foster. Renorio Downswell, who is the son of national technical director Wendell Downswell, doubled his team’s lead 10 minutes later with a powerful right footed shot from the centre of the 18-yard box past Foster.
However, East reduced the deficit for Portmore on the stroke of half time when he fired home from the penalty spot. The champions dominated the second half as East scored his second goal of the match and goals from Morris and Smith wrapped up the victory.