By Audley Boyd , Staff ReporterMOUNT SALEM United are desperately in need of wins to keep alive their semi-final hopes in the National A League.
Cellar dwellers Black Stars, who have only eight points, are even more desperate for three points as they seek to stave off relegation.
They will be engaged in today's two penultimate round games that are set to start at 3:30 p.m. Already qualified Bull Bay host St. Ann's Black Stars at Bull Pen while Clarendon newcomers Israel entertain St. James' Mount Salem at Monymusk Sports Club. The game between St. Catherine's Central Link and Olympic Gardens scheduled for today has been postponed.
With 20 points and two games in hand, Olympic Gardens are eighth and assured of retaining their place next season, but they have no chance of making the semis.
The latter also holds for Israel and Black Stars who apart from wanting all points off Bull Bay, are fighting not to lose points in the boardroom for an unplayed game.
"We're in the relegation spot ... We're going for three points from Bull Bay and hopefully we can get back the match against Mount Salem," said Clive Brown, Black Stars' president.
The Mount Salem game should have been played on Sunday but was not after the match commissary called it off at Black Stars' home venue of Drax Hall.
"The match commissary decided that we didn't have enough security. The rule says we must have two uniformed policemen, which we had, and eight in-team security, which we had also, and it was about 15 to 20 spectators at the ground. So we had more players than spectators at the match," said Brown.
He added: "The match commissary said that the visiting team, Mt. Salem, said they did not feel safe playing the match. I went to the manager of the Mt. Salem team and he said they were willing to play.
"I went back to the match commissary and told him this and he said our bench list was not completed. I asked him for the sheet to write on the names of the team officials and he refused, saying it was too late. At that time it was 3:35 p.m. and the match was scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m.
"I figured it was really unfortunate for us for the match not to be played because the list for the officials on the bench was not completed," said Brown, who wrote a letter to the JFF which has set a meeting for tomorrow.
If that match is played, Black Stars will have to win that and today's match as well to save the drop as their closest rivals (Brazil 12, Rockfort 13 and Frome 14) are also battling to keep their places. Three teams will be demoted.
At the other end, leaders Seba (38) and Rivoli (37), who share joint second with Bull Bay, are idle.
Bull Bay are going for a win nonetheless as they seek to fine-tune for the semis.
"Our main intention is to try and fine-tune our performance. We have two games left and we need to get ourselves ready for the semi-finals. These games are like dress rehearsals for the semi-finals," said Barrington Gaynor, Bull Bay's coach.
Mount Salem (25) and Central Link (26) are in a three-way struggle for the fourth semi-final spot with St. Mary's Axum (28). Axum's only other game will be against Frome on Sunday, so Mt. Salem and Central Link will be looking to make the most of today's contest while the cat's away.
TODAY'S GAMES
Bull Bay vs Black Stars at Bull Pen
Israel United vs Mount Salem United at Monymusk
