Tivoli Gardens, Waterhouse in key clash

Nodley Wright, Sunday Gleaner Writer

Week four of the National Premier League will be highlighted by a number of key clashes, including two derbies and a number of other statement games, but on the face of it, the big clash of the day is between leaders Waterhouse and defending champions Tivoli Gardens at the Edward Seaga Complex.

Waterhouse go into this game with the best defensive record and the only team with a perfect record, but coach Donovan Duckie knows that that will not count for much when the whistle signals the start of the game.

"What I can tell you is that in order to win the championship, we have to look forward to games like this. It is going to be difficult but against them. We played against them in the Claro League and won that game, so we know there is a little bit of rivalry brewing. We are looking forward to that challenge," Duckie said after his team clipped Montego Bay United to extend their unbeaten run to three games.

"Playing against Tivoli is never an easy game. It is always a lot of passion, commitment and pride from the players. It is a players' game and a spectators' game," continued Duckie, who would have been aware of the encounters between both teams last year.

Tivoli Gardens got the better of Waterhouse last time with Keammar Daley and Navion Boyd, in particular, being like thorns in their flesh. Daley has subsequently moved on to Britain, but Boyd is still around.

fight as a unit

"We want to be on our best and we have to fight as a unit as we did against Montego Bay United," said Duckie, outlining one of his keys to victory.

Besides fighting as a unit, the former national youth coach will be counting on the experienced and powerful Jermaine Anderson and Gary McIntosh to provide the ammunition up front. Peter Keyes could also be called upon to unlock the Tivoli Gardens defence along with Vincent Earl and Jermaine Ricketts, while goalkeeper Richard McCallum will be expected to show his class as one of the top goalkeepers in the country.

"It is going to be a tough game, Waterhouse are presently the leaders and we expect them to come hard at us, because we are sure they want to maintain the lead," Tivoli Gardens' assistant coach, Alvin Shaw, said of the upcoming game.

Last season, Tivoli Gardens had the meanest defence, the most potent strike force, as well as the best home record. This season, they have the most goals, six, with new signing Mitchily Waul accounting for three of them, and Shaw is looking at Waul and national striker Navion Boyd as players who could influence the game in Tivoli's favour.

Waul, along with Marcelino Blackburn, who were recruited to fill the void left by Daley, have done well on the goalscoring front. In terms of establishing a supply line for Boyd, that is not yet established, but it could be only a matter of time before that puzzle is solved with Devon Hodges set to return. With Hodges's entrance, Waul would play a deeper role behind the strikers.

"We are the defending champions and we have no plans to give up the title this season, and one of the ways to prevent that is to maintain the lead at all times," Shaw explained.

For Tivoli Gardens to succeed in that department, they will have to do a better job than they did against Boys' Town. The defending champions lost most of the aerial battles and Kasai Hinds was not his usual tidy self.

A clash of the Collie Smith Drive neighbours Boys' Town and Arnett Gardens is always a match to see, even with both teams in the wrong half of the table. Both teams have a rich history in the league and would not want to be caught in a relegation fight.

Harbour View, the team long seen as the model club in the country, and Montego Bay United, seen by some as the future model, will go head-to-head at the Catherine Hall Complex in a battle of the old and new.

The Humble Lion versus Sporting Central, in the 'real' Clarendon derby, will not only determine parish bragging rights, but generate a lot of interest in the mid-island parish.

Highgate United, while sitting just a place above the relegation zone, have shown that beating them will not be an easy task, and for Village to achieve that feat, some transformation will have to take place.

Reno Football Club are fighting hard to reclaim lost glory, and an unlikely win over Portmore United would give them some belief. Portmore United, after an ordinary last two seasons, have shown early signs that their investment in youth could bear fruit. A win away to Reno will be further testament of that.

Today's games:

3:30 p.m.: Humble Lion vs Sporting Central - Effortville Community Centre

3:30 p.m.: Highgate United vs Village United - Lynch Park

3:30 p.m.: Reno vs Portmore United - Frome Sports Complex

3:30 p.m.: Arnett Gardens vs Boys' Town - Anthony Spaulding Complex 5:00 p.m.: Montego Bay United vs Harbour View - Catherine Hall Complex

5:00 p.m.: Tivoli Gardens vs Waterhouse - Edward Seaga Complex

Standings

	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	PTS
Waterhouse	3	3	0	0	5	2	3	9
Tivoli	3	2	1	0	6	4	2	7
Portmore	3	2	1	0	4	2	2	7
Sporting	3	2	0	1	5	3	2	6
Humble Lion	3	2	0	1	5	4	1	6
H View	3	1	1	1	5	4	1	4
MoBay United	3	1	0	2	4	3	1	3
Reno	3	1	0	2	3	3	0	3
Arnett	3	1	0	2	4	6	-2	3
Highgate United	3	0	2	1	4	5	-1	2
Boys' Town	3	0	1	2	2	8	-6	1
Village	3	0	0	3	2	5	-3	0