Hazard, Constant Spring face off

Nodley Wright, Staff Reporter

WITH THE bitterness of disappointment still fresh in their throats from their failure to advance to the first end of round final, Hazard will be aiming to make no mistakes today against Constant Spring when they meet at Ferdie Neita Park at 3:30 p.m.

Both teams meet in one of the regular five National Premier League matches on today. Also in action are Harbour View who host Duhaney Park, a team which will not be saved even by prayer from relegation.

The other maches are all in western Jamaica with Reno entertaining the ruthless Tivoli Gardens at Frome, Waterhouse visiting their former coach Geoffrey Maxwell who guides Village at Elletson Wakeland and the defending champions Arnett Gardens journeying to Jarrett Park to do battle with Wadadah.

At this stage of the competition, Hazard are two points behind second round leaders Tivoli Gardens and are keen to maintain their place as a slip up could let through Harbour View who are expected to put away Duhaney Park.

Hazard coach Lenworth Hyde is certain his players will stop Constant Spring's flow of two wins in a row.

"I don't think they can stop us now," said Hyde of Constant Spring with whom they played to a 2-2 draw in their previous meeting.

Contests between both teams have always been tough, Hyde said but added that his players had trained hard all week.

"(Constant Spring) always seem to have a little thing for us (but) the guys have been training very hard for this one," said Hyde.

The crafty Danny Lyn has, like Hyde, has been getting his players physically and mentally ready for this matchup. Hyde is possibly looking at the short term - the end of round final - while Lyn is looking more at the long term.

His team is in third position overall and a win could put them at least in second position and first if Arnett Gardens are beaten by Wadadah.

We are going down there for three points," a confident Lyn said. "We have trained very hard and I am extremely pleased with their performance. I am expecting an excellent performance from them," said Lyn who pointed out that his team has lost just three matches (in the regular season) this season with just one team, Tivoli Gardens, beating them twice.

At Harbour View, even without the injured captain Robert Scarlett and Damion Stewart who is away in the United States on a Major League Soccer (MLS) trial, Harbour View should be firm favourites over Duhaney Park.

Young goalkeeper Omar Williams has been brilliant for Duhaney Park but it will take more than his form to rescue a team which has been through too many battles on and off the field.

Out in the west, the Wadadah/Arnett Gardens showdown will take top billing.

In their last meeting, Wadadah came from behind at the Tony Spaulding Sports Complex to stop their more fancied opponents which will make today's game a grudge match.

On show in this encounter should be the veteran Durrent Brown and Kirk Hendricks, midfielder Garth Botha and Fabian Blake, and strikers Markeino Gillings and Gregory Tape for Wadadah. For Arnett Gardesn will be the combative Everton Bunsie, Gerald Neil, Eugene Barnes, Adonis Maxwell and the electric Jonathan Williams.

TODAY'S GAMES