Adrian Frater, News Editor

WESTERN BUREAU:

TIVOLI GARDENS registered their third win of the Wray & Nephew National Premier League season on Wednesday night when goals by Roland Dean and Horace Howell gave them a 2-1 win over Wadadah, at Jarrett Park, in Montego Bay.

Tivoli Gardens' win lifted them to 13 points and consolidated their seventh-place position in the 12-team competition. Wadadah's defeat - their fourth consecutive loss - leaves them hovering just above the relegation zone on nine.

"It was a very tough game, but the players rose to the occasion," said Tivoli Garden's coach, Calvert Fitzgerald, as he summoned his team to prayer on the side of the field following the game. "I think the team is beginning to gel and this gives me reasons to believe better times are ahead."

Despite his team's loss, Wadadah's coach, Anthony 'Follies' Williams, said he saw enough positive in his side's performance to believe that with a little more effort from his troops, things could begin to become better before too long.

"It was a tough loss and the fact that the defenders let down the team did not help," said Williams. "However, I was most encouraged by our second-half performance as we created quite a few chances and did not give up any goals."

In a first half in which Tivoli Gardens looked the better of the two teams, the prolific Dean gave the visitors the lead in the 10th minute when he breached goalkeeper Gavin Barrett's goal from close range to give his side a 1-0 lead.

With Wadadah struggling to get into the game and Tivoli Gardens looking increasingly ominous, Howell doubled the west Kingston team's lead in the 19th minute when he found himself unmarked before Wadadah's goal and made no mistake, burying his effort to make the score 2-0.

Penalty

Down in the dying moments of the half, Wadadah rolled back into contention when the referee awarded them a 44th-minute penalty. Striker Jermaine Anderson made no mistake, booting past the goalkeeper to make the half-time score 2-1.

At the start of the second half, Wadadah should have pulled level in the 50th minute, but after working his way behind the Tivoli Gardens' defence, Anderson cracked his shot high over the crossbar, much to the disgust of his teammates.

As the game progressed, Tivoli Gardens regained control and created several goal-scoring opportunities including a brilliant effort from Howell in the 78th minute when he dribbled through the Wadadah defence and fired towards the goal. Unfortunately for him, the ball struck the upright and rebounded into play.

On the stroke of full-time, substitute Waheem Walker all widen Tivoli Gardens' lead when he sped through the Wadadah defence, but fired straight at the alert goalkeeper.

Tivoli Gardens 2

Roland Dean 10th, Horace Howell 19th

Wadadah1

Jermaine Anderson 44th