Kwesi Mugisa, Staff Reporter
Tivoli Gardens came from a goal behind to fend off the challenge of a spirited Waterhouse, claiming a 2-1 victory in a physical Digicel Premier League (DPL) encounter at the Edward Seaga Stadium yesterday.
Waterhouse burly front man Jermaine Anderson put the visitors ahead in the 26th minute.
The striker latched onto a poor clearance by the Tivoli backline, which floated to him at the far post and though not catching the ball flush, got more than enough power on the shot to leave Tivoli goalkeeper Leon Gordon a mere spectator.
Evenly contested
However, in an evenly contested affair, the home team found themselves on level terms in five minutes from the break. A quickly taken free kick led to Craig Stewart picking out striker Roland Dean, who darted away from his defenders at the back post before heading past Waterhouse goalkeeper Richard McCallum.
Not deterred in their attacking play in the second half, Waterhouse could have recaptured the lead in the 50th minute. Unmarked Roberto Fletcher, who controlled a Kirk Ramsey cross with his chest eight yards away from goal, saw the attempt go out for a corner after smashing the ball on onrushing Tivoli custodian Gordon.
Major blow
Waterhouse's chances of claiming all three points received a major blow when defender Michael Stone received a second yellow card for a tackle on Dean. The home team took full advantage of the situation as Dean hit a shot that was palmed away by goalkeeper McCallum. However, substitute Jermaine Taylor was on hand to put away the rebound.
"I think our concentration as a defensive unit was very poor today and we were just very disorganised," said Waterhouse coach Wayne Fairclogh.
"To make things worse, after the red card the game left us completely. We have to work on our defensive effort," he added.
Tivoli's coach Lenworth Hyde Snr. was pleased with not only the win, but also his team's effort.
"It was an outstanding effort from the guys. We really worked hard and I was impressed with several aspects of the team's play," he said. "We kept our possession which is a huge key to winning matches and we reaped the rewards from that."
