BT looking to rebound

Nodley Wright, Sunday Gleaner Writer

Having lost their unbeaten record in the Digicel Premier League (DPL) on Sunday last, Boys' Town will be gunning to return to winning ways when they host Reno today in one of five games.

Following Boys' Town loss to Arnett Gardens last week, coach Andrew Price declared that his team was still on track for an end-of-round final.

"The programme is on track. We are still a work in progress, we are learning the dynamics of being out there competing week in, week out," he said then, cited his team's failure to score goals as a problem to correct.

"My plan is to get this loss behind us and prepare for the games to come and continue the process of accumulating points and achieving our first objective.

"We just need to get maximum points when we play at home. If we get full points from all our home games then a big part of the battle is won," he said, adding that the service out of midfield will have to be much better for Dean Thompson and company up front.

Reno's Wendell Downswell, while losing to Waterhouse in their last outing, was pleased with his team's performance, especially in the second half. Then he said they had nothing to be ashamed of. He also expressed the hope that against Boys' Town, they "can start there like we ended here".

Nicholy Findlayson had an excellent game against Waterhouse and was unlucky not to get his team a share of the points and a similar performance will be expected of him if Reno are to reverse their fortunes.

Good run for Arnett

Boys' Town's neighbours, Arnett Gardens, are on a good run, having won back to back with 1-0 wins over Harbour View and Boys' Town, respectively. They will be expecting to get the better of a Sporting Central team which, but for their 4-2 win over the poor St Georges Sports Club, have looked like strugglers.

"They (Sporting Central) are a good young team which plays a good, exciting brand of football. But we know what we have to do to get these three points which are crucial," Wayne Fairclough, Arnett's coach, said ahead of today's game.

Benfica have been steadily finding their feet following wins over Portmore United and St Georges. Based on form they would fancy themselves against Village United, but the Western Jamaica standard bearers will not want to lose three games in a row, having suffered heavy beatings to Portmore United and Tivoli Gardens.

Defending champions Harbour View have already lost two games for the season, but coach Donovan Hayles is not particularly worried. While they have not been able to stack up the wins that he has been expecting, Hayles said he is pleased with the attitude of the players and the brand of football they are playing. Youngsters John-Ross Edwards, Romario Campbell and Kimorlee Brissett have shown a lot of quality so far. They could also benefit from the return of Jermaine Hue, who should add some more experience and quality in midfield, alongside the man on a mission, Richard Edwards.

Waterhouse have looked good all season but for their away loss to Village United. Coach Baris Johnson has managed to rejuvenate Jermaine Anderson and motivate Andre Clennon, two players who along with Kenardo Forbes and goalkeeper Richard McCallum, could be key to a Waterhouse win.

St Georges have not looked good all season and have allowed themselves to be the league's beating stick so far this season. Portmore United, on the other hand, have been steadily rebuilding with players such as Ricardo Cousins, Roen Nelson and Steven Morrissey providing leadership for a young bunch, including the exciting Andrew Vanzie. Any slip-ups by St Georges will be punished.

Today's games

Arnett Gardens vs Sporting Central at Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex at 6 p.m.

Benfica vs Village United at Drax Hall at 3:30 p.m.

Boys' Town vs Reno at Boys' Town 3:30 p.m.

Harbour View vs Waterhouse at Harbour View Mini Stadium at 6:30 p.m.

St Georges vs Portmore United at Lynch Park at 6:30 p.m