Boys' Town let big chance slip

Nodley Wright, Gleaner Writer

Boys' Town on Sunday missed an excellent chance to improve their chances of earning a place in the Digicel Premier League end-of-round final, after playing to a 1-1 draw with Portmore United at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex.

The result saw the Collie Smith Drive-based team slip to third on 17 points, while Portmore United stood firm in fourth on 16 points, as the top four teams remained closely bunched.

Former Portmore United player, Anthony Bennett, fired Boys' Town ahead in the 41st minute, while Ricardo Cousins leveled for Portmore United in the 63rd.

Playing in the opening game of the double-header, Boys' Town, which could rightly be called the 'home' team as they are based in the same Trench Town community just a stone's throw down Collie Smith Drive, surrendered the lead and failed to capitalise on numerous chances, as they allowed the visitors to share the spoils.

"I am very much disappointed with the result. I think we dominated the game. We really put the ball down and created numerous opportunities in the first half and should have converted them. Had we converted them the game would have been put away long ago," said Boys' Town coach, Andrew Price, laying his disappointment bare.

His team's sloppy play, he said, continued in the second half.

"We continued to play around in the second half and they scored a very soft goal and then we started to play again. We have to understand that when we get teams to put away we must put them away, and especially when you play at home you want those three points," Price added.

Linval Dixon of Portmore United was of the view that both teams did well under the conditions.

"It was a good game overall. The conditions did not allow us to play, but both teams worked hard. They got their chance and scored, we got ours and did too, but I think we could have clinched it in the dying moments.

"I am really satisfied with the result. The performance was not the most wonderful but you have to understand," said Dixon.

Underfoot conditions

In a game which saw both teams struggling to adjust to the soggy underfoot conditions, Portmore United settled quicker but were soon overhauled by Boys' Town, with Bennett in particular playing as if he had a point to prove.

After missing several clear chances through Renae Lloyd, Michael Campbell and Shane Edwards, Bennett was to provide them with the lead they deserved with a well-taken free kick from about 22 yards. Curled low and hard, the shot gave goalkeeper Gariece McPherson no chance.

Portmore United improved in the second half and equalised when a poor clearance from the Boys' Town defence allowed their opponents to switch the ball quickly to the left flank and a swerving cross was met by Cousins, who stole in behind the defence and steered home diagonally.