Howard Walker, Reporter
JUNIOR DOWIE, Staff Photographer -
Harbour View's Sean Fraser scores his team's second goal during yesterday's rescheduled Wray and Nephew National Premier League match at the Harbour View Mini-Stadium. Looking on are Invaders' Garfield Jackson and hapless goalkeeper Gavin Barrett. Harbour View won 3-1.
H. View: Lovel Palmer (26th), Sean Fraser (51st), Luton Sheldon (86th)
Invaders: Delroy Ellis (18th)
HARBOUR VIEW came from behind to defeat Invaders 3-1 in yesterday's rescheduled Wray and Nephew National Premier League game at the Harbour View Mini-Stadium.
In a hard-fought game, Harbour View, with goals from Lovel Palmer (26th), Sean Fraser (51st) and Luton Shelton in the (86th), rallied after Delroy Ellis gave Invaders a shock lead in the 18th minute.
However, winning coach Donovan Hayles was not impressed with his team's performance, citing a bit of luck on their part and the lack of fitness of the Invaders players.
POOR PERFORMANCE
"The truth is that, I think, it was a very poor performance today. I think we were a bit fortunate, we could have been three down by half-time," Hayles said.
"I knew that Invaders were not 100 per cent fit. Once they didn't capitalise on their chances it spelled trouble for them. It showed in the second half as their legs went," he said.
"It was more of a deficiency in their part than we raising the level of our game," he added.
Meanwhile, losing coach Cassman Williams admitted his team lacked physical conditioning.
"The thing is that the team is not fit and that was our downfall. We got a few chances in the first half and had we put them away the result would have been different," Williams said.
The game started at a lively pace with last year's beaten finalists, Harbour View, being pushed back by the aggressive running of Invaders.
Nigel Ellis, Delroy Ellis, Ricardo Scott and Enrique Green were attacking Harbour View at will - especially down Harbour View's left flank where debutantes Akeem Priestly and Kingsley Brown had a hard time. It was not surprising when last year's 10th-placed team took the lead in the 18th minute.
Ricardo Geddes, utilising space afforded him by Brown, slipped a ball inside for Ricardo Scott whose shot was blocked by goalkeeper Leighton Murray but the ball lobbed in the air for Delroy Ellis to head into an empty net.
EQUALISE
Eight minutes later, the 'Stars of the East' equalised. A corner by Fraser was headed in by Palmer who out-jumped a static Invaders' defence.
The half ended with the hard-running Invaders dominating play but they missed a couple of chances with Delroy Ellis and Sheldon Bryan being the main offenders.
The second half was a different story as the home team came out firing on all cylinders and Invaders lost their legs. Shelton, Fraser and Donald Stewart wrested the game from Invaders and in the 51st minute, Shelton got by Garfield Brown on the touchline and cut back the ball for Fraser who fired past Gavin Barrett for a 2-1 lead.
The third goal was a beauty. In the 86th minute, substitute Jomo Gordon turned inside his marker and changed the play with a superb 35-yard pass to the unmarked Shelton who in one motion controlled and lobbed the ball over the onrushing goalkeeper from the edge of the box. A stupendous goal which killed the game as a contest.
