Nodley Wright, Staff ReporterHARBOUR VIEW and Arnett Gardens headline National Premier League action around the Corporate Area and Portmore today where three matches will take place.
Arnett Gardens host Harbour View at 1:00 p.m., Wadadah visit Tivoli Gardens at Railway Oval while Waterhouse and Constant Spring meet at Ferdie Neita Park.
In today's game, Harbour View will be seeking their third successive victory, a first for them this year.
"It would be great to have three wins in a row but I am sure Arnett Gardens are thinking the same way so it is down to how both teams play in the game," Harbour View coach Peter Cargill said about his team's chances.
Since the start of the 2001/2002 season, Harbour View's form has been patchy. They won their opening two games but have been indifferent since. After losing their opening game of the second round to Tivoli Gardens, they have won their next two and are now in line for a third.
To achieve this, Cargill said his team would have to outscore their opponents.
"For the past couple of games we have been scoring but we have also been conceding goals and this we want to stop," he said.
"We want to reduce the possibility of the other team scoring and at the same time maximise our scoring," continued Cargill. "We see this as a tough task and if we can win these small battles then we stand a good chance of winning the game."
Arnett Gardens' coach, Jerome Waite, said he had to contend with the task of getting his players to refocus on football following their mid-week Jackie Bell Knockout match against Tivoli Gardens which was abandoned because of crowd violence.
"The time between that game and this game is short but I will have to try my best to get their minds back on football," Waite said.
Historically, Waite said, the matches between the two teams have always been tough and exciting.
"Harbour View are a very good team and it is always a joy to watch both teams play. I expect a very excellent tactical game from both teams," Waite said.
"The last times both teams met in Arnett Gardens it was a 1-1 draw and before that we lost 4-1 so there will definitely be a lot of a pressure on the players to perform going up against Harbour View," he said.
For his team to break the trend at home against Harbour View, Waite believes Arnett Gardens will to do more on their offensive side of the game.
In their past three NPL games they have scored just three goals and conceded one.
"Our team has to make the transition on the offensive side and get the ball in the back of the net. We need to step up on the offence."
This offence will again fall primarily on Walter Boyd, the current goalscoring leader in the competition, as Kevin Wilson and Fabian Davis will again sit out because of injury.
Adonis Maxwell will have to regain his goalscoring touch if Boyd is to have help. Jonathan Williams could also be a driving force out of midfield along with the stabiliser Cornel Chin-Sue.
Harbour View should pin their attacks around midfielder Jermaine Hue, who lifted his team against Waterhouse last week. Kahreem Cooke, Daniel Shaw and returning captain Robert Scarlett, Damani Ralph and Mark Miller are also expected to play prominent roles.
At Railway Oval, Tivoli Gardens are expected to get the better of Wadadah who after swamping Duhaney Park, lost to Village at Jarrett Park. Tivoli Gardens lost their last NPL game 3-0 to Village but something must have happened since then to turn their form around. They responded with a 4-0 hammering of Constant Spring away and a 3-2 sudden-death extra time win over Harbour View in the Jackie Bell KO.
They were also leading Arnett Gardens 2-0 in the Jackie Bell KO on Wednesday.
At Ferdie Neita Park, the game could go any way as on the two occasions the teams have met this season they were even at the end of 90 minutes. The 4-0 loss must be hurting Constant Spring and they would be keen to put that result behind them.
Under Alrick Clarke, Waterhouse have won one, lost one and drawn the other NPL match. With their team at full strength, anything less than a win would be disappointing for him.
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