Howard Walker, Staff Reporter
Harbour View's Gregory Simpson (left) tumbles over from a hard challenge from Arnett Gardens' Kwame Richardson during their Wray and Nephew National Premier League game at the Tony Spaulding Sports Complex yesterday. Harbour View won 3-1. - IAN ALLEN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
GOALS WIN matches and Harbour View proved just that, defeating Arnett Gardens 3-1 in their Wray and Nephew National Premier League (NPL) encounter at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex yesterday.
In a game in which Arnett Gardens dominated and had the better of play, the home team went 2-0 down after national striker Luton Shelton converted a penalty in the 44th minute and former national Under-17 player Kevin King doubled the lead in the 77th.
Greg Taylor, with his third goal of the season, had briefly given Arnett Gardens a faint hope of salvaging a point with a clinical finish in the 79th minute.
However, substitute Marcelino Blackburn, a former Arnett Gardens player, popped up in the 90th minute to seal victory for the Stars of the East in the top-of-the-table clash.
Harbour View, who lost 1-0 to champions Portmore on Sunday, are now sole leaders on 12 points - three ahead of Arnett Gardens, Tivoli Gardens, Waterhouse and Portmore.
Winning coach Donovan Hayles said his team was still coming together and he was pleased with the effort.
"As you realise, we were playing away from home and Arnett Gardens were on top of their game. What is important is the go-ahead goal and we achieved our first objective to take the Arnett Gardens crowd out of the game," said Hayles.
"We must give credit. They stepped up and took control but we played well on the counter and shouldn't have let them back in the game," he said.
Meanwhile, Michael Tulloch, coach of Arnett Gardens, hit the nail on the head.
"If you don't score goals you will always end up the loser and that was exactly what happened today," Tulloch said.
"We dominated ... had more of the possession, but didn't have the goals," he said.
GOALSHEET
HARBOUR VIEW 3
Luton Shelton 44th pen. Kevin King 77th
Marcelino Blackburn 90th
ARNETT GARDENS 1
Greg Taylor 79th.
