Audley Boyd, Assistant Sport Editor
ARNETT GARDENS gasped for breath when referee Howard Stennett sounded the whistle for the final time to confirm their 2-1 win over Constant Spring yesterday.
More importantly, it also signalled their place in Sunday's Wray and Nephew National Premier League first end-of-round final against Harbour View at Harbour View Mini Stadium at 5:00 p.m.
Needing a victory to cement their spot ahead of four other contending teams in the final, the 'Junglists', who started the day on 17 points in second, could hardly have imagined facing such a mountainous challenge from an opposing team without a victory and deeply rooted to the bottom of the 12-team championship table on three points.
STUNNING FIGHT
"Nothing was easy today. Constant Spring came and put up a stunning fight," remarked Arnett's coach, Jerome Waite.
"This is our first final for the year. I hope my team can settle and work out all the things we need to," he said.
"Harbour View have been playing consistently well since the start of the season. In the first match that we played them this season we created numerous chances and we failed to put them away. We hope that we will be able to put them away in the final," Waite commented while looking to Sunday's game against the team which beat them 3-1 in an earlier contest.
Harbour View notched up their ninth win yesterday - 3-1 over Waterhouse - in the 11-game first round to finish first on 27 points, seven more than second-placed Arnett. Portmore just missed out by finishing third on 19, while Village ended fourth on 18 after leap-frogging losers Tivoli and Waterhouse, who remain on 16.
Yesterday, Arnett endured a goalless opening 45 minutes in which they hardly appeared superior; a huge emotional swing during a three-goal blitz in five minutes enveloping the hour-mark; followed by a heart-stopping kick in time added from Constant Spring substitute Akeeli Morgan that was inches wide of the far post with goalkeeper Julian McLeish well beaten.
NO SMILES
There weren't any smiles, just huge sighs for the gritty win made through goals by Kevin Wilson (57th minute) and Jonathan Williams (60th).
Carl Brown (62nd), the other half of an energy-filled twin combination, scored for a Constant Spring team already battling relegation with a five-point gap off the second-from-bottom team Seba United.
Wilson scored an easy tap-in unchallenged at the far post, benefitting from Kwame Richardson's industry on a fast counter down the right flank.
The latter powered to the byline before delivering the cross for the pivotal finish that broke the deadlock and brought smiles to the previously worried faces of Arnett, as other teams a point or two behind were playing simultaneously at other venues.
Three minutes later, Wilson turned provider with a free-kick from the left flank that Williams met inside the penalty box and headed over goalkeeper Ralston Robinson into the goal at the 60th minute, further eliminating their anxiety and making signals for a rout.
REAL CONTEST
However, there would be another twist two minutes later when Brown bucked Sean Hunter's firm corner kick so hard that not even McLeish or a couple of defenders in close proximity could combine to prevent the ball from forcing its way across the goalline, to reduce the margin to 2-1.
The real contest followed with Brown's brother, Collin, missing two excellent chances to pull Constant Spring level and Arnett Gardens continuing to miss several opportunities as well.
In the final analysis, they never suffered as Morgan's last-gasp, left-footed finish in the 92nd minute went just wide - luckily for Arnett but agonisingly for Spring.
"Overall, I thought we should have won the game," was Constant Spring coach Danny Lyn's assessment. "We had the better chances but unfortunately we didn't score. We lost our shape for one moment and Arnett scored. We can only look to better things."
GOALSHEET
Arnett Gardens 2
Kevin Wilson - 57th, Jonathan Williams - 60th
Constant Spring 1
Carl Brown - 62nd
