Daraine Luton, Freelance Writer
THE 'STARS of the East' shone brightly under newly-installed lights at the Edward Seaga Stadium last night, where they denied home side Tivoli Gardens the right to be called Caribbean Football Club champions, squeezing them out 2-1 in their return leg tie.
Substitute Jomo Gordon scored in time added on to prevent the game going into extra time after both teams approached the final whistle locked at 1-1, a replica of the way the first leg tie ended at Harbour View last week.
Gordon, unmarked at Kirk Porter's back post, finished an attacking move from Harbour View that had its origin in a Jermaine Hue pass from midfield to Lovel Palmer overlapping on the left side. The latter made use of the acres of real estate provided to him and swung acrosss goal to Gordon who grabbed the opportunity to end Tivoli's CFU championship hope.
Earlier, Craig Stewart stitched up a wicked left-footer from 25 yards, giving Harbour View the lead on 23 minutes. Stewart, fed by his namesake, Donald Stewart, with his back to ground, turned and 'wet' a wicked shot that crippled Tivoli's defence and sailed along the turf, past the outstretch hand of the diving Porter, into the left corner of goal.
TIVOLI HIT BACK
But Tivoli hit back through Fabian Davis, 13 minutes into the second half. The 2003 NPL MVP embarrassed Leighton Murray at his near post with a shot that bounced just before the 'keeper and then eluding his outstretched hand. Murray had failed to hold unto a Christopher Nicholas header and given up a rebound, which went out on the right side of the penalty area where Orane Simpson collected and played to Davis, who drove from a tight angle to bring his team level.
The win means that Harbour View now advances to the quarter-final stage of CONCACAF Champions' Cup. This round will be played on a home and away, straight knockout basis. D.C. United of the United States will first host them on March 9 before the return leg here on March 16 next year. Providing they triumph over D.C. United, they have the winner of the CD Olimpia (Honduras) and Pumas UNAM of Mexico semi-final.
But while getting to this stage of the competition is the first for a Jamaican football club, Harbour View coach Donavan 'DV' Hayles could not find the strength to celebrate victory with his boys.
EMOTIONAL HAYLES
"When Tivoli Gardens equalised, I said, my God is it going to happen all over again? But the players had said to me to book their ticket to Washington D.C. they are not going to lose this on and they prevailed," Hayles said.
However, the former national goalie was reduced to tears soon after as he dedicated the victory to Roxy Williams, an executive of the Harbour View FC who died recently. "This is for him," said a tearful Hayles.
Murray, despite a few blunders, kept Harbour View from a resurging Tivoli team that was looking more purposeful in the second half. He stopped two well-hit shot from Davis well into the second half and then, two minutes from time, did the mopping up work for his team after a free Nicholas hit a tame shot from the top of the area.
"We hurt ourselves ... it is just one of those things, I do not think it was our night," Glendon 'Admiral' Bailey, coach of Tivoli said.
"The whole game we have been asking Marco to track and mark and you see it, in the long run, the same thing came back to haunt us. You cannot be in the box and a man get a free chance like that and no one contested," he said of the final rites that led to his team's demise.
