By Howard Walker, Staff Reporter 
Taylor (left) and Deerr (right) - File
SECOND-ROUND LEADERS Portmore United will be looking to extend their lead when they visit struggling Harbour View at the 'Compound' in their rescheduled Wray and Nephew National Premier League game at 7:00 this evening.
Portmore United have conjured up an impressive run in the second round and lead the pack with 16 points from six games with five wins and a draw to be two points clear of Waterhouse and Tivoli Gardens, who have played seven games.
Portmore, the 2003 champions, will have a glorious chance to widen that lead to five points with an away victory over the struggling Harbour View tonight.
Meanwhile, Harbour View, the Caribbean champions, are finding it extremely difficult to win games of late and from six games they have only garnered six points with one win while suffering three defeats.
A win tonight is of paramount importance to Harbour View, the end-of-round finals winners, who are lagging far behind and are desperate to make up lost ground.
SLUMPED
Since that 1-0 victory over Waterhouse in the final, Harbour View's irresistible form has slumped so far that they have also been knocked off the top of the overall standings and are currently in third position with 35 points.
Waterhouse lead the standings with 39 points ahead of defending champions Tivoli Gardens on 37 with Portmore and Arnett Gardens breathing down their necks on 33 points.
Harbour View, the 2000 champions, will want a repeat of their 2-1 first-round win over Portmore at the Ferdie Neita Park in October and Luton Shelton, Fabian Taylor, Nicholas McCreath and Jermaine Hue will have to raise their games to overcome a confident Portmore aggregation.
Portmore have been boosted by the return of striker Reon Nelson from a stint in Trinidad and Tobago plus the return to form of Kevin Deerr. Both players snatched a brace apiece in their 5-1 demolition of Invaders over the weekend with Deerr registering his sixth goal in five matches.
It should be an interesting match-up which could go either way, but if the Caribbean champions turn up in the sort of mood of the first round then Portmore United could be in for a torrid night at the Harbour View Mini-Stadium.
