Nodley Wright, Freelance Writer

SEBA UNITED will be hoping for a start to the second round similar to the one they had at the start of the first round of the Wray and Nephew National Premier League.

Then they defeated Portmore United 2-0 and had people in the second city dreaming - if just for that weekend - about the possibility of the title returning to Montego Bay.

This week is a far cry from that time as while they were in the top three at that time, now they find themselves in the bottom two with only the promoted Naggo Head having an inferior record. Portmore United, on the other hand, are in third position and improving. "I think tomorrow will be a little bit different from the first game. Portmore have added a few new players," said Seba coach Geoffrey Maxwell, acknowledging Portmore's improvement.

During the break at the end of the first round, Seba United have not exactly stood still as they have added a player or two to their roster and according to the man credited with restructuring a number of teams in the NPL and who has been recognised as the architect of the league leaders Waterhouse, his team is on the improve.

Intensive Training

"We have trained pretty well for the past two weeks and if we can replicate what we have done during that time, then we should give a good account of ourselves but at the same time, Portmore are not a team to be underestimated," added Maxwell, a former national coach.

If Portmore are to be beaten then the likes of Theodore Whitmore will need a lot of assistance from Damian Williams and Wilfred Smith.

As far as Horace Reid of Portmore is concerned, his team is riddled with injuries but they are a confident bunch that will keep soldiering on.

"Right throughout the first round, we had a number of injured players. At one stage we had as many as 19 players with injuries that prevented us from fielding the same side consistently. That situation has not changed much as we still have a number of injuries but we are soldiering on. It is a long season," said the former Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) general secretary.

A Good Run

What is in Portmore's favour is the fact that they have been having a good run and that they have a good road record. In goalkeeper Shawn Sawyers, Anthony Modeste, Jason Morrison, Kevin Deerr and the improving Carlington Smith, they have players any club would covet. A win over Seba United would not be beyond them.

At Ferdie Neita Park, end-of-first round winners Harbour View are expected to get a good start to the round as they face the struggling Naggo Head.

If the result of their last game in the first round is anything to go by, then Tivoli Gardens are ready to play. They hammered Harbour View 4-0 and should be given the edge over a Boys' Town team which has not been able to find the net regularly.

The newly stabilised Arnett Gardens should get the better of Montego Bay's Wadadah especially if the competition's leading scorer, Leon Strickland, continues his good partnership with Kevin Wilson. Steths has been home away from home for Reno and Village United are not expected to dent their unbeaten record at their St Elizabeth venue.

At UWI, defending champions Waterhouse will have the opportunity to put their

end of first round loss behind them. Waterhouse's major problems are within as

coach Barrington Gaynor and at least one of his assistants could depart the

inner-city team for reasons of safety.

STANDINGS P W D L GF GA

GD Pts

Waterhouse 11 7 4 0 22 7

15 25

Harbour View 11 6 3 2 20 17

3 21

Portmore 11 4 6 1 12 7

5 18

Reno 11 5 3 3 20

15 5 18

Tivoli 11 4 4 3 19

15 4 16

Arnett Gardens 11 5 1 5 18 17

1 16

BoysÕ Town 11 3 6 2 13 13

0 15

Village 11 4 3 4 8

11 -3 15

Wadadah 11 4 0 7 14 18

-4 12

August Town 11 2 4 5 6 11

-5 10

Seba 11 3 1 7 13

21 -8 10

Naggo Head 11 0 3 8 11 24

-13 3

Tivoli Gardens vs. Boys' Town at Edward Seaga Stadium - 3:30 p.m.

Naggo Head vs. Harbour View at Ferdie Neita Park - 3:30 p.m.

Arnett Gardens vs. Wadadah at Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex - 5:00 p.m.

Reno vs. Village United at STETHS - 3:00 p.m.

Seba United vs. Portmore at Jarrett Park - 4:00 p.m.

August Town vs. Waterhouse at UWI - 3:00 p.m.