Nodley Wright, Freelance Writer
IN A game that was all about honouring the fixtures, Reno Football Club defeated an under-strength Village United 4-2 at Elliston Wakeland Centre on Sunday to put a close on the 2005-06 Wray and Nephew National Premier League.
Former Village United player Ricardo Scott was primarily responsible for the home team's demise as he struck a double for Reno while Mario Harrison and Draion McNain had one each. Alfred Morris had a consolatory double for Village.
The game itself was one that spectators would not have appreciated and they appeared to have foresight of it as most of them stayed away.
With the exception of veteran Kirk Hendricks and Damion Newton, Village United fielded under-21 replacement players as the regulars had not returned from a tour of the United States.
Reno midfielder Gary McIntosh and Scott discussed the possibility of scoring a hat-trick when they saw the opposition and Scott should have done just that.
Midfielder Harrison opened the scoring in the sixth minute, heading home a rebound from a Scott shot.
It was 2-0 21 minutes later when Scott beat the offside trap to fire home after receiving a defence-splitting pass from Kendre Quarrie.
Prior to Scott's first goal Village had an excellent chance to level the score when Ricardo Morris struck the left upright in the 15th minute, after Everoy Williams found him inside the box with a perfect free-kick.
Village's day got darker in the 48th minute when Jahvan Russell picked up his second yellow card, a minute after the first, and was duly ejected.
McNain scored the goal of the day at the 57th minute when he collected a cross from O'Brian Woodbine, rounded goalkeeper Tedroy Watson and fired into an empty net.
Three minutes later Scott made it 4-0, blasting home a left-footer past Watson from a McIntosh pass.
Morris brought some respectability to the scoreline by blasting a Newton cross past Duwayne Kerr in the 64th minute and added a second, which looked offside, in the 85th minute.
TIVOLI WIN 6-0
Meanwhile, a hat-trick from national midfielder Jermaine Johnson led Tivoli Gardens to a 6-0 hammering of Wadadah at Edward Seaga Sports Complex.
Johnson scored at the 44th, 62nd, and 74th minutes to lead the rout against the Montegonians.
Roland Dean, who opened the scoring at the 33rd minute, Jermaine Taylor (40th) and Nicholas McCreath (88th) scored the other goals for Tivoli, which ended third in the standings on 57 points, 12 adrift champions Waterhouse (69) and seven behind second place Harbour View (64). Wadadah, in the meantime, finished third from bottom on 32.
