Mount Pleasant back in top form

Mount Pleasant Academy’s unbeaten start to the Jamaica Premier League (JPL) season continued at the weekend after they defeated Molynes United 4-1 at the UWI-JFF Captain Horace Burrell Centre of Excellence yesterday.

Goals from Allan Ottey (22nd), Devonte Campbell (29th), Ricardo Morris (46th), and a Daniel Green (78th) penalty sealed the St Ann team’s fifth win in six starts.

Trivante Stewart scored Molynes United’s goal in the 73rd minute.

After seeing his team drop their first points of the season last week against Dunbeholden, Mount Pleasant’s coach, Walter Downes, was pleased to see his team rebound in style.

“One point was good enough last week, but we shook off the disappointment of not getting all three points, and we came out firing today, and I was very pleased with our approach.

“This is the first game this season that we won both halves. We had a few opportunities and we were 2-0 up at half-time.

“I told them half-time it was a good position to be in but dangerous, and a third goal is critical. So when we got the third goal I was happy,” he said.

Despite the dominant start to the season, scoring four or more goals in three of their six games, Downes noted that their games are much tougher than they look.

“The Molynes team battled to the end -3-1 could have easily become 3-2 and become sticky. So we had to work to get the fourth goal. Last week it was also very tight, so we have to work to win football matches,” he insisted.

After an evenly contested first 20 minutes, Mount Pleasant went ahead when Ottey powered through and fired home. Minutes later he broke free down the left and set up Campbell to score from six yards

FINE TEAM MOVE

A minute after the break, Morris finished off a fine team move from the edge of the area to put his team 3-0 up.

Molynes got a goal back just past the hour mark when Stewart fired past Akel Clarke from 12 yards.

However, after John Christoff-Pringle and Nicholas Nelson wasted great chances to put their team back in the contest, Mount Pleasant went up field and earned a penalty, which Green converted to seal the 4-1 win.

Molynes coach Garnett Lawrence said the better team won the game.

“I do not think we deserved anything out of the game. We got the same ‘look in’ as they got, but they finished their chances.

“They were better than us. They knocked us off the park. We had a lot of wrongs today. Our tracking was very poor, and that cost us, “ he said.

Mount Pleasant lead the standings with 16 points from six matches, three more than second-place Waterhouse.

Molynes sit second from bottom with four points. In the opening game yesterday Waterhouse and Humble Lion played to a 1-1 draw. Andrew Vanzie scored for Humble Lion while Keithy Simpson was on target for Waterhouse.

livingston.scott@gleanerjm