Downes happy for point against tough Dunbeholden
Published:Monday | February 14, 2022 | 12:09 AMLivingston Scott/Gleaner Writer
After losing their perfect win record in the Jamaica Premier League (JPL), following a 1-1 draw with Dundeholden at the UWI-JFF Captain Horace Burrell Centre of Excellence yesterday, Mount Pleasant’s coach Wally Downes, said, despite their impressive start to the season, no team can dominate and win every game.
The Englishman was also pleased to come away from a very tough fixture with a point.
“Out of the 10 halves that we have played (this season), I can say this (first half) is the only half that we haven’t been comfortably the best team,” he said.
“I said before the game they are a good side with some good players and it was going to go be a good test for us.
“They (Dunbeholden) played well but we nullified them to a degree. We didn’t really impose our game on them as much as we could. But, during the course of a season, you are not going to dominate every game.
“We gained a point today against a very good team and I was pleased with the commitment that we showed,” he added.
Dunbeholden had the better chances in the first half. De Andre Thomas had a shot blocked after he broke loose. Then, later, a mix-up in the Mount Pleasant defence gifted Kimoni Bailey a great chance but he could not capitalise.
Devonte Campbell created Mount Pleasant’s best chance of the half but he was denied by Damion Hyatt in goal.
After the break, Mount Pleasant looked a better side and Daniel Green and Alwayne Harvey forced good saves out of Hyatt.
Mount Pleasant broke the deadlock when Green burst through from the half-line, past through three defenders, and rocketed the ball past Hyatt.
Atapharoy Bygrave, Dunbeholden’s leading scorer, who missed the last match through injury, volleyed over from 12 yards moments after entering the game Then, in the last minute of added time and with the last kick of the game, the striker ran on to a pass from midfield and slipped the ball past the advancing Arel Clarke for the equaliser and his fourth goal of the season.
Dunbeholden’s assistant coach Ricardo Smith said a loss for them would not have been a fair result.
“The killer instinct wasn’t there in the first half. We created a few chances but didn’t make any use of them. The second half came and we paid for it.
“So, it is a great feeling (to get a point) because, if we had lost 1-0, I would have said the score was not a reflection of how the game went. So getting that goal with the last kick of the game was great,” he said.
In yesterday’s second game at the venue 10-man Cavalier beat Harbour View 1-0.
Today’s games
1 p.m.: Montego Bay United vs Tivoli Gardens
3:15 p.m.: Arnett Gardens vs Vere United