Howard Walker, Staff Reporter
Harbour View's Lovell Palmer (right) turns away from Tivoli Gardens' Christopher Nicholas in their Wray and Nephew National Premier League encounter at the Harbour View Mini-Stadium yesterday. Harbour View won 2-0. Referee Howard Stennett looks on. - JUNIOR DOWIE/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
HARBOUR VIEW went to the top of the table after comprehensively beating Tivoli Gardens 2-0 in their Wray and Nephew National Premier League game at the Mini-Stadium yesterday.
Young striker Marcelino Blackburn headed Harbour View into the lead in the seventh minute and Robert Scarlett made it 2-0 in the 20th.
Harbour View's Christopher Harvey and Tivoli's Christopher Jackson were ejected in the 10th minute for fighting while Robert Scarlett joined them on the sidelines in the 88th minute for kicking an opponent.
Harbour View, the 2000 champions, now have 65 points and lead Portmore (63), Tivoli Gardens (61) and Waterhouse (60) in the race for the $1 million bonus for finishing top of the table after the regular season.
PORTMORE POISED
However, Portmore United can return to the top with a win over Waterhouse in one of two Premier League games today.
Winning coach, Barrington Gaynor, said his team decided to put in some serious work after Sunday's debacle against Portmore and it paid off.
"We didn't work hard enough on Sunday so we decided that we are going to put in some work regardless and it bore fruit early in the game. We cruised in the second half and secured the three points," said Gaynor.
GAYNOR CONFIDENT
With the semi-finals around the corner, Gaynor thinks his side has the edge over Tivoli Gardens.
"We have beaten them three times in the last three games so we have the psychological advantage going into the semi-finals. And once we play good, no team in the country can beat us," Gaynor said.
Meanwhile, Brian Rose, manager of Tivoli Gardens, could not believe how flat his team looked with so much at stake.
"The team looked demotivated and not purposeful on the field. It was a disappointing result. I thought that playing for a million dollars that the players would come out more motivated to try and get three points," he said.
"Seeing that it looks like we won't be winning the million-dollar bonus, the next thing is to win the league. We haven't won anything for the season and we'll have to make them realise that," Rose said of his charges.
