Kwesi Mugisa, Staff Reporter
Tivoli Gardens' Horace Howell (left) prepares to kick the ball while being challenged by Constant Spring's Emeil Thomas (right) during their Wray and Nephew National Premier League football match at the Constant Spring Oval yesterday. Howell scored for Tivoli in the 1-1 draw. - IAN ALLEN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
IT WAS close but no cigar for winless Constant Spring as a late goal by Tivoli Gardens' Horace Howell in a 1-1 stalemate at Constant Spring yesterday, cruelly denied them what surely looked to be their first win of the 2005 Wray and Nephew National Premier League season.
After a hard fought scoreless first half, a determined Constant Spring finally pushed their way ahead in the 48th minute through striker Collin Brown.
Brown pounced on an accurate cross driven across goal by Gaymeon Watkins to fire past a hapless Leon Gordon, custodian of the Tivoli net. But having scored the elusive opening goal Constant Spring committed the cardinal sin of sagging back to defend their precious lead.
"We just failed to follow instructions. After we went a goal up everybody started to back up and defend. The instructions were to stack the midfield and we would have won the game," lamented Constant Spring coach Danny Lyn.
"All we needed to do was to take control of the ball, keep possession and we would have come out winners, but unfortunately I think we panicked," he added.
Their hearts were in their mouths when Howell ran on to put a diving header into the back of the net with 10 minutes left to go, but they were relieved when the play was ruled offside.
However, there would be no relief in the 84th minute when the unmarked striker rose high to head powerfully past Spring keeper Ralston Robinson, sending the home team to their sixth draw of the season.
Glendon Bailey, coach of a Tivoli team ravaged by injuries, said: "When you have your best set of players not available to you on a consistent basis you are bound to have inconsistencies. We tried to play too many passes in the first half and that is not our game, but we settled in the second half and got the goal."
GOALSHEET
Constant Spring 1
Collin Brown 48th
Tivoli 1
Horace Howell 84th
