- Junior Dowie/Staff Photographer
Tivoli's goalkeeper Kirk Porter punches the ball over the crossbar after a free-kick from Harbour View's Jermaine Hue (out of picture) in their Wray and Nephew National Premier League match at Harbour View Mini Stadium yesterday. The teams tied 2-2.
Audley Boyd, Assistant Sport Editor
LAST YEAR'S finalists Harbour View and Tivoli Gardens did a fair bit of sizing up and even though the chances came, neither was able to put away the other in a 2-2 finish to their Wray and Nephew National Premier League heavyweight clash at Compound yesterday.
Both teams got a share of the lead as Tivoli's Steve Green scored the sole goal of the first half by scrambling in a low shot from Roland Dean, only to be pegged back by goals from Nicholas McCreath (53rd) and Clifton Waugh (62nd pen.). Highly talented but under-played midfielder Lenworth Hyde Jnr. had the final say, his toed finish levelling the scoreline in the 70th minute.
The teams are in line for a place in the End of Round final and Harbour View stayed ahead of the league on 22 points, while Tivoli are fourth on 17.
FAIR RESULT
The result was considered fair by both camps, even though Harbour View's coach Donovan Hayles believed they should have got more.
"In the context of the game the result was fair," Hayles said. "For about 25 minutes of the second half we had total dominance and we went ahead. We should have stretched our lead and we didn't do so," he said. "Once we're playing against a top team, they're going to have their moments. Tivoli utilised their moment well and pulled back that important goal," he said.
Tivoli's manager Brian Rose, who handled technical duties in the absence of coach Glendon 'Admiral' Bailey who is off the island, commented: "I think it was a fair result seeing the chances that both teams got."
Commenting on their End of Round final chances, Rose said: "Seeing the position we are in now, it's going to be very stiff to qualify for that." The game was full of action and saw tries at goal from start to finish.
There was a strange element to that side of it though, as the excitement was due more to the quality of individuals on the ballpark and not their collective effort, as there was a plethora of very poor passes in a flat display, that might have been so because several players on both teams represented Jamaica in three matches over five days up to Sunday.
This was highlighted mainly by the off-key play of Jermaine Hue, one of the best passers of the ball locally, who made more ill-measured passes in the first half than he had probably made in all of his team's eight previous matches.
What the high turnovers meant was that fluent build-ups were not sustained for any period other than the third quarter when Harbour View surged ahead and had Tivoli on the ropes but could not deliver the knockout punch on 'keeper Kirk Porter, who replaced injured former Harbour View goalie Leon Gordon at the interval.
McCreath mainly, and Shelton to a lesser extent, got the chances after benefiting greatly with balls crossed from the right or slipped through the middle of defence.
Despite missing some, they buried two with squares from that flank when McCreath picked up a rebound from Hue's free-kick, turned on a dime at the top of the penalty area and unleashed an equalising goal into the far post; then later when Sean Fraser took a pass laid off by McCreath and went between two defenders, only to be brought down by Green's tackle.
It gave up a penalty that Waugh buried with a powerful side-footed goal into the side-netting.Harbour View got further chances to bury Tivoli but missed out and Tivoli were able to claw their way back.
Fabian Davis threaded a little pass to the junior Hyde to toe in the equaliser and while passing was better in the remaining 20 minutes, none of the teams that will clash for the Caribbean Club championship title over the next two Wednesdays could split the stalemate.
