Tivoli, Boys' Town continue title chase
Published:Wednesday | April 13, 2011 | 12:00 AM
Kwesi Mugisa, Staff Reporter
With very little room to manoeuvre after seeing a comfortable lead whittled away by chasing Boys' Town, pacesetters Tivoli Gardens must kick their campaign back into high gear when they host rivals Waterhouse at the Edward Seaga Sports Complex, as the Digicel Premier League continues today.
Tivoli currently hold a three-point advantage over second-place Boys' Town in the two-horse title race, but recent results seem to suggest that the west Kingston team's brilliant mid-season surge has lost some of its impetus, with the finishing line just over the horizon.
Tivoli would have been happy to see the back of the month of March, having managed only one point in three encounters played. And, just when it seemed the team was back on track with a 3-1 win over Village United to start April, they were again slowed by Portmore United in a goalless draw at the weekend, adding up to one win in their last five games.
However, Tivoli's assistant coach, Alvin Shaw, insists that Tivoli's title charge has not slowed and they are not concerned about the pursuing Boys' Town.
Focused and leading
"It has not put any pressure on us, we are still in the lead and we are focused. It is important for us to keep winning, keep getting three points. Boys' Town are the ones that need to play catch-up, so we are not focused on them. We are just focused on what we have to do for the rest of the season, and that is win games," said Shaw.
Despite leading the league with a healthy 50 goals, 12 more than the nearest team, things have not gone well in front of goal in the last few games, with their much-vaunted attack with Navion Boyd, Roland Dean and Keammar Daley finding it difficult to score.
"The goalscoring let us down in the last match. to be fair, it has in recent times. We are looking for that to improve today, but let's not forget that Portmore is a quality team," Shaw said.
Tivoli face a tough opponent in Waterhouse and with one win apiece and a draw, they have split their season record.
Boys' Town, however, will certainly not have things their own way as they travel to Portmore looking for three points to maintain their title challenge. For Red Brigade head coach, Andrew Price, consistency will be key.
"We are going out there with the same mindset, and that is to take maximum points. We are not worried about the leaders, instead we are more focused on what we have to get done, and that is maximise our opportunities," said Price.
Major blow
Boys' Town were dealt a major blow on Sunday when midfielder Oneil Thompson, inspirational for the Trench Town unit to date, picked up a red card. But Price believes the team is well equipped to cope.
"If you want to be champions you have to have a deep squad, and we believe we have players that can come in and do the job for Oneil," he said.
It is Boys' Town who hold the advantage, having not lost to Portmore this season, but two of the three encounters have ended in a draw - a result the Red Brigade hope to avoid today.
In the day's other top-six encounter, last year's champions Harbour View will battle Village United at the Harbour View Mini Stadium.
In the bottom half of the table, Sporting Central can mathematically assure themselves of a place in top-flight football next season with just a point against parish rivals Humble Lion, when the two meet at Brancourt. A loss would be disastrous for last-placed Humble Lion, as a win for St Georges Sports Club at Lynch Park against virtually safe Arnett Gardens would leave Humble Lion in deeper trouble.
Bottom-place Benfica will also have ambitions of springing the relegation trap, when they face a struggling Reno at Frome.
Top Six
Teams
P
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
PTS
Tivoli
34
17
11
6
47
26
21
62
B Town
34
16
11
7
33
25
8
59
H View
34
15
9
10
37
26
11
54
Portmore
34
12
12
10
29
25
4
48
W'house
34
13
8
13
37
32
5
47
Village
34
11
10
13
37
41
-4
43
Bottom Six
Teams
P
W
D
L
GF
GA
GD
PTS
Arnett
34
10
14
10
26
29
-3
44
Sporting
34
10
13
11
33
31
2
43
Reno
34
10
11
13
34
35
-1
41
St Georges
34
11
6
17
25
38
-13
39
Benfica
34
10
7
17
33
55
-22
37
H Lion
34
8
10
16
23
31
-8
34
Standings
Games on
5 p.m. Tivoli vs Waterhouse at Edward Seaga Sports Complex
4 p.m. Portmore vs Boys' Town at Ferdie Neita Park - HITZ 92 RADIO
7 p.m. Harbour View vs Village at Harbour View Stadium
3:30 p.m. Reno vs Benfica at Frome Complex
6:30 p.m. St Georges vs Arnett Gardens at Lynch Park
3:30 p.m. Sporting Central vs Humble Lion at Brancourt - CVM TV/KLAS RADIO