- RICARDO MAKYN/Staff Photographer
Harbour View's captain Jermaine Hue (centre), shakes hands with Wray and Nephew's Communications and Promotions Manager, Andrew Price (left), while other members of his team celebrate during the trophy presentation after the Wray and Nephew National Premier League's first End-of-Round final at the National Stadium last night. Harbour View beat Waterhouse 1-0 on an 85th minute goal from Jomo Gordon.
Howard Walker, Staff Reporter
AN 85th-minute strike by super substitute Jomo Gordon carried Harbour View to a 1-0 win over Waterhouse in the Wray and Nephew National Premier League End-of-First-Round final at the National Stadium yesterday.
Gordon, as he did in the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Club Championship return-leg final against Tivoli Gardens almost two weeks ago when he scored an injury-time winner, came on in the 70th minute and fired a 30-yard grounder past Demetrio Brown and into the back of the net.
Harbour View, in capturing their second title of the season, pocketed $150,000 and three bonus points to maintain top position in the overall standings on 29 points, while Waterhouse got a point to move to 25.
The win also gave Harbour View sweet revenge as they had lost 1-2 to Waterhouse in last years' first End-of-Round-final.
Winning coach Donovan Hayles said he was pleased with his team's performance, especially the defensive aspect and had high praise for Waterhouse.
EXCELLENT GAME
"Waterhouse played an excellent game of football and this game could have gone any way ... they have nothing to be shame about. It was good, high quality football.
"When one looks at the defensive aspect of our game that is what I am most pleased with. We will always score a goal and tonight we did that. I am very pleased," said the fast-talking Hayles.
Meanwhile, losing coach Peter Cargill, a former coach of Harbour View, declined commenting when approached at the changing room, while he chastised his players.
The game started with Waterhouse early on the attack with two attempts on goal through Damion Powell and Demar Phillips the Player of the Month for October.
However, Harbour View were the first to settle and should have taken the lead through Lovell Palmer in the 26th minute, but the midfielder's shot from an angle found the side netting from 10 yards out.
They got another good scoring opportunity later, immediately after Jermaine Hue's thunderous free-kick from 40 yards. It had substitute goalkeeper Brown in all sorts of problems as he gave up a rebound, only to make up instantly by parrying Sean Fraser's follow-up kick over the bar.
TOWERING DREADLOCKS
The game came to life as the towering dreadlocks, Oneil Robinson of Waterhouse, began imposing himself and along with the slippery Demar Phillips and Boris Johnson, they took the fight to Harbour View.
The half ended with Harbour View having a slight edge with a couple of half chances, and at the defensive end where opposing strikers Richard West and Kevin Lamey were well marshalled by Jermaine Taylor and Damion Stewart.
The second half was of better quality and Waterhouse was again quick out of the blocks as West fired over the bar from close range.
It was Harbour View though, who again had the better chances. Fraser, before being substituted, lobbed the goalkeeper only for his shot to be cleared off the line.
Then the coaches began ringing the changes to gain the advantage. First Robert Scarlett came on for Fraser, Gordon for Nicholas McCreath in the 70th and Akeem Priestly for Luton Shelton, all for Harbour View.
For Waterhouse, Cargill brought on Roberto Fletcher for the ineffective West and Weston Forrest for Johnson.
It was Gordon who popped up to find the winner though. He collected a ball some 30 yards out, turned and fired a low shot that swerved past the hapless Brown.
It was a deserved victory for the top club in the Caribbean and with Fabian Taylor expected for the next round, Harbour View look hard to beat.
In the curtain-raiser, Portmore United came from behind to beat Tivoli Gardens 3-2 in the Under-21 Mid-Season final, courtesy of goals from Bryan Bayliss (53rd), Glenmuir schoolboy Steven Morissey (60th) and Carlington Smith (64th).
Horace Howell of Excelsior had given Tivoli a 15th minute lead and Akeem Weir narrowed the deficit in the 82nd minute, but it was too little too late.
