Harbour View back to winning way
Harbour View ended their losing streak with a 2-0 win over former champions Portmore United in the Jamaica Premier League at Stadium East yesterday.
Trayvone Reid put the Stars of The East in front in first-half stoppage time, then Colorado Murray made the game secure with a strike in second-half stoppage time.
After losing 4-1 to Molynes United, giving up a three-goal lead to draw 3-3 with Tivoli Gardens, and losing 2-0 to Cavalier last week, head coach Ludlow Bernard says it was crucial they got a positive result yesterday.
“We needed a rebound,” he said. “That was the most important thing. We have been on the back of two and a half losses and two and a half games without scoring. We really needed a result, and that was the main thing we came for. We were never attractive and that wasn’t the intention. We just wanted to be solid at the back and put the occasional ball to the forward. And I was pleased with the application of everybody. We started with hard working players because we just wanted the people with good work attitude to give as much as they got, for as long as they could.”
The result pushed Harbour View to 23 points and one place up the table to sixth, two clear of Tivoli who drew 1-1 with league leaders Dunbeholden in the earlier game.
In an evenly contested game, both teams had good opportunities. Garth Stewart missed a sitter for Harbour View early on but Reid broke away, rounded goalkeeper Bernardo Constant and slotted home moments later.
Both teams traded good attacks in second half, with good chances to score. But Portmore goalkeeper Bernardo Constant was the busier of the two.
Javick McFarlane had an effort for Portmore that just missed the upright, while, Keni Charleston’s effort was cleared off the line in 80th minute.
Portmore are now ninth on 16 points, five points off the last play-off spot.
Portmore head coach Lenworth Hyde admitted the team needs more work to be competitive. “We have the talent but it will take time for the team to grasp what we want to teach them,” he said. “We want to reach the top six and we just have to continue working with this group, as we do not have that experience. We are short in all departments on quality players, so we just have to build, learn and try to improve. We just have to try and turn it around and motivate the players that we can still reach top six.”
In other games, Cavalier and Vere drew 0-0, Dunbeholden were held to a 1-1 draw by Tivoli, and Montego Bay United and Arnett Gardens battled to a 2-2 draw.
In today’s games Waterhouse entertain Humble Lion at 5 p.m. and Molynes take on Mount Pleasant at 7:15 p.m.