Sporting battle into first end-of-round final

Nodley Wright, Gleaner Writer

History was created at the Harbour View Mini Stadium on Sunday evening when the defending champions Harbour View and Sporting Central played to a 0-0 draw, to give the Clarendon team their first taste of an end-of-round final.

Harbour View, in the meantime, will not be involved in any this season - a first since its introduction.

The one point earned by Sporting Central pushed them to 19, one more than Arnett Gardens and Harbour View, and a place alongside Portmore United in the final on Sunday, January 9.

The first half was a largely uninspiring affair with Sporting Central, despite playing with three forwards, taking up a defensive posture with full knowledge a draw was good enough to see them into the final, as Arnett Gardens had earlier in their game 1-0 at Humble Lion.

Sporting Central thus surrendered the midfield to Harbour View in a sometimes bruising encounter.

While there was a lot of hard work, there was very little artistry and goalkeepers Michard Barrett for Harbour View and André Blake for Sporting Central, were rarely bothered, if at all.

Upon resumption, the game came to life with Harbour View going on the attack, as Sporting Central tried to contain them.

Against the run of play, the first clean chance fell to the trigger-happy Gary McIntosh of Sporting in the 54th minute, after he broke loose inside the area, but he powered his shot too close to Barrett, who saved brilliantly.

McIntosh's effort lifted his team, as Francois Swaby came more to life, but they could not get past Barrett in the Harbour View goal. Captain Jevaughn Watson, who played uncharacteristically deep, screwed an effort wide in the 85th minute, when he should have hit the target.

Brilliant goalkeeping

Harbour View should have had the game wrapped up later but for the brilliant goalkeeping of Blake and the poor shooting and ill-luck, especially on the part of Rafeik Thomas.

In the 73rd minute, Thomas was denied by the alert Blake, who checked his advance from the goal, repositioned himself and gathered a glancing header. He beat Blake a minute later, but also fired wide of the goal.

Thomas would continue to miss chances and should have at least forced a save from Blake, as he steered John-Ross Edwards' fierce drive high, from just about six yards.

In time added, luck went against Thomas and his team as he danced by two challengers, drove hard and low goalwards, only to see his effort rebound off the bottom of the upright.

More agony

Harbour View's agony got even worse as substitute Kimorlee Brissett's follow-up shot was fumbled, then cleared.

"We could have stolen it at the death, but congratulations to Sporting Central, they played well. We would have wanted to win but the one point has taken us a point closer to the leaders and towards retaining our title and, as the saying goes, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step," Harbour View's coach, Donovan Hayles, philosophised, after the game, on their missed opportunity.

Sporting Central's assistant coach, Nigel Stewart, was justly pleased.

"The hard work has paid off and we feel good. We will feel even better if we win the end-of-round final," he said with a smile.