Kwesi Mugisa, Staff Reporter

RENO ALL but waved the white flag on their title hopes following a 1-0 defeat to August Town in Wray and Nephew National Premier League action at the Barbican Complex yesterday.

The loss put third-placed Reno, who were legitimate title contenders when they beat Harbour View in the second end-of-round final, 12 points behind the leaders with just five games remaining. Kaydian Lecky blasted the in-form August Town, who had created numerous chances throughout game into the lead in the 56th minute.

Breaking to goal, Lecky was able to take advantage of a high ball played into the area, which held up in the breeze, before he blasted a cracking volley past stranded Reno custodian Kendrick Blair, who never looked very sure in goal, from 12 yards away.

Tough task ahead

"It's going to be a really tough task for us from here on and realistically we are looking at a second-place finish," said Reno head coach Wendell Downswell.

"We created a number of chances today, we did not put them away, they put away theirs and whenever you miss so many opportunities at this level, you pay the price," he said.

Since winning the final, Reno, then the hottest team in the NPL, have struggled mightily since the start of the third and final round with just one win in six games. Ace striker Ricardo Scott had the perfect opportunity to at least give the Westmoreland team a share of the points but, after booming the ball like a canon all day long, scuffed a 76th minute shocker, after finding himself unmarked with the ball no more than 10 yards away from goal.

However, August Town, who had a goal disallowed in the first half due to an offside call, certainly had the better of the chances. Substitute Rohan Palmer was odds on to snatch August Town's second goal but, after breaking away to goal from a Daniel Shaw through ball in the 86th minute, he chipped the ball wide of an advancing Blair and the upright. "We have been looking towards winning the match and we did. We are used to the way Reno play and I think we could have even won by a bigger margin today," said August Town coach Hugh McCarthy.

"Our goal is to come as close to the big teams as we can this season, we are looking at about fourth," he said.

August Town 1

Kaydian Lecky 56th

Reno0