Draws keep DPL contenders level

Ryon Jones, Gleaner Writer

It is all square as the four teams vying to replace St Georges Sports Club and Benfica in the country's top flight next season are tied on one point, after the two matches ended in draws, as the Digicel Premier League play-off series got under way yesterday.

Eastern Super League champions, Highgate, were held to a one-all score line in their home encounter against South Central champions Rivoli United.

The St Mary-based Highgate took the lead through Dennis Neish, but a strike from Luke Soares earned Rivoli a point.

The matchup between two former premier league outfits, Cavalier and Seba United, saw the opening and closing two minutes being the decisive moments of the game, which also ended in a one-all stalemate yesterday, at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex.

second-minute lead

Horace Sharpe fired Kingston and St Andrew Super League champions Cavalier into a second-minute lead, which appeared to be enough to garner all three points, before Iton Scott popped up with a stoppage-time equaliser for the Western Conference Super League champions.

Seba's Peruvian coach, Danilo Barriga, despite playing away from home, was dissatisfied with the result.

"There's no satisfaction, because it was just one mistake in my defence," Barriga said.

"Seba controlled all the game and should have scored two to three goals, so there is no satisfaction, because Seba should have won by three, four goals," he added.

The game got off to a sprightly start as the home team went on the attack from the opening whistle. Cavalier's captain, Donovan Alvaranga, managed a cross from the left touchline, which the Seba custodian, Triston Bernard, failed to collect. This allowed Fabian Nethersole to gain possession in the area and lay off to Sharpe, who fired home from 12 yards.

taking control

Cavalier appeared to settle into a defensive game, which allowed Seba to take control of the midfield. The Montego Bay-based team should have pulled level in the 39th minute when Jeremie Bucknor broke away on goal, only to be thwarted by a splendid point-blank save by Cavalier's keeper, Everdean Scarlett.

Seba found an equaliser deep in stoppage time when Darryl Murray was allowed far too much space on the left flank to get off a square, which was beautifully headed into the goal by Scott.

Cavalier's assistant coach, Garfield Robinson, rued his team's defensive lapse.

"I think it was just a lapse of concentration, because we were concentrating right throughout and the defender could see the ball coming from over 40 yards, and should have judged it better than that," Robinson explained.

"We are very disappointed; at home we expected to get three points, but there are more games to be played and we hope to get better results in those games," he added.