Portmore, Tivoli square off

Nodley Wright, Gleaner Writer

As the jockeying intensifies for places in the end-of-second-round final of the Digicel Premier League (DPL), the 6:30 p.m. meeting between former champions, Portmore United and Tivoli Gardens, will attract most attention.

Overall leaders and end-of-first-round champions Tivoli Gardens, like Sporting Central and Portmore United, have four wins, one draw and one loss from six games in the round so far to be on 13 points. With their superior goal difference, Tivoli Gardens sit in pole position ahead of Sporting Central who have scored more goals than Portmore United.

For this encounter, Tivoli Gardens should start favourites, especially with their firepower, which include last season's leading scorer Devon Hodges, Keammar Daley and Roland Dean. Former Portmore United stalwart, Kevin Deerr, could be called on from the bench and he would definitely want to prove a point.

For the rebuilding of Portmore United to record their third victory in a row and nose ahead of the competition, Steven Morrissey, Ricardo Cousins, Tremaine Stewart and Mario Swaby will have to be at their sharpest.

Eyeing another win

Sporting Central, after whipping Arnett Gardens 3-0 at home and clipping Benfica 2-1 away, must be eyeing another win when they host Boys' Town today. A win for them would not only improve their chances of getting a place in the end-of-round final, but would settle a score with Boys' Town who defeated them 1-0 in the first round.

Boys' Town on the other hand have not been enjoying the best results this round and have not recorded a win since their 2-0 victory over Tivoli Gardens. Since then, they have lost to Arnett Gardens, drawn 0-0 away to Reno and lost at home to Village United. While the results in the last three games could give Sporting Central reason for optimism, the fact that they have beaten Tivoli Gardens 2-0 away from should serve as a cautioning note.

In addition to Boys' Town's own inconsistent play, what could also be in Sporting Central's favour is the prolific form of the League's leading scorer François Swaby, eight goals, and Gary McIntosh. Both players found the back of the net in their last two games. LeVaughn Williams is also capable of scoring but Boys' Town, if they get their act together, could have Renae Lloyd, Dean Thompson and Anthony Bennett provide the offensive goods for them while Asrick Samuels will be required to keep the defensive line tight especially with Wayne Ellis suspended.

At the Drewsland Stadium, second-placed Waterhouse will seek to put Wednesday's 3-1 defeat behind them when they host Humble Lion. With the return of goalkeeper Richard McCallum, and utility player Keneil Moodie from national duty and the presence of fit-again Kenardo Forbes, Waterhouse were expected to get the better of Arnett Gardens. Anything but a healthy win today could have their fans thinking crisis as they have recorded just a single win for the round along with three draws and two losses.

While Humble Lion are sitting in relegation they are a team capable of competing with the big boys. They have not been humiliated in the League this season but their progress has been undermined by their inability to score. They have scored just 10 goals so far this season, the same as fellow relegation dwellers St Georges. With Denzil Watson out due to suspension, their major goalscoring responsibility will fall on the shoulders of the not-so-prolific Kevin Mighty.

Arnett Gardens should be favoured to beat St Georges at Lynch Park especially after their performance against Waterhouse. However, if St Georges are able to improve their concentration especially in the dying minutes, they could just manage to pull off an upset. Defensively, Jermaine Taylor should add some solidity to the team while a fit would give them a much needed offensive thrust.

Ninth position and 18 points do not translate into DPL comfort for any team especially after 17 games. Those 18 points are just five points and a possible two losses away from the relegation zone. That is the position that Reno find themselves in and with head coach Wendell Downswell set to depart to Brazil on Wednesday with the country's Under-17 team, it is important to get back on track.

Coach encouraged

Despite their loss on Wednesday to Harbour View, coach Downswell said he saw enough in the second half to be encouraged.

"We played positively for the last 45 minutes and this is something that we can improve on," Downswell said, after the Harbour View loss.

"Once we can get that one goal or two it will put us in good stead because overall our tactical discipline in the last 45 was good," he added.

A win today over Benfica would be a good send-off for Downswell and would also convince them that they could remain afloat until his return in early January. Their chances will be improved by the return of Nicholi Finlayson and Evan Taylor to support O'Brian Woodbine, Davion Thorpe and goalkeeper Dennis Taylor.

Benfica won the first-round meeting 3-2 and would be keen to return to winning ways following their midweek loss to Sporting Central.

Motivated by their win over Arnett Gardens, Village United, whose Brazilian coach was in attendance at the Harbour View/Reno game, will be aiming for their second successive win on the road. Harbour View will have other ideas and with a number of their more experienced players returning to action, Village will have to raise their level significantly to repeat their first-round victory.

Today's games

6:30 p.m.: St Georges vs Arnett Gardens - Lynch Park

3 p.m.: Reno vs Benfica - Frome Complex

3 p.m.: Sporting Central vs Boys' Town - Brancourt

6 p.m.: Waterhouse vs Humble Lion - Drewsland Stadium

6:30 p.m.: Portmore United vs Tivoli Gardens - Ferdie Neita Park

6:30 p.m.: Harbour View vs Village United - Harbour View Stadium