'We need a goalscoring machine' - Village's coach laments after another loss

Ainsley Walters, Gleaner Writer

JANUARY'S transfer window can't come any sooner for Village's coach, Kendale Mercury, who watched his team go through its 10th Red Stripe Premier League game without a victory in Sunday's 0-2 loss at Harbour View.

Fabian Taylor netted a close-range header in the 38th minute and Joel Senior fired in an 88th-minute shot from 20-odd yards to leave the Villagers wondering what next, as they languish at the foot of the standings with two points and four goals to their credit.

"I wish January could come tomorrow," said Mercury, who had last week threatened to use defensive players on the bench as strikers due to his forwards' poor form in front of the goal.

"We need a goalscoring machine. We definitely have to go shopping, probably spend some money we don't have, scrape it from somewhere," Mercury added.

Harbour View moved to 14 points for their third win of the season, which has been blotted by five drawn games.

Coach Harold Thomas said they played an improved game against Village after last Wednesday's 0-0 draw at Portmore United.

"We still have work to do. We're trying to stabilise our form. We're getting better but (we're) not satisfied. Our penetration and finishing let us down, but we're working on it."

Thomas said despite Village's position in the standings, Harbour View never took the men from Trelawny lightly.

"We saw Village's last two games. Even though the results were not in their favour, their approach to the game was quite good," he noted.

Thomas was right because for the first 15 minutes Village took the attack to Harbour View and should have led after 14 minutes, but Ian McAnuff unbelievably kneed a shot over the crossbar from eight yards, meeting Lacon Brissett's cross from the left flank.

"It's just overwhelming, it's the first time I am seeing this, we just can't score. The chances are more difficult to miss," Mercury commented after the match.

Missed chance

Harbour View made Village pay for that missed chance when Taylor outjumped the visitors' keeper and flashed in a header from inside the six-yard box.

Brissett, who was causing Harbour View all sorts of problems in left midfield, skipped a challenge but stepped high at John Ross Edwards charging in and was sent off a minute before the break, heaping pressure on his team.

However, they defended stoutly with Cordel Simpson twice clearing off the line in the 58th minute.

They even had a chance to equalise in the 85th minute, but substitute Teafore Bennett arrived late and under pressure from a defender turned Shavar Campbell's cross wide.

As Mercury summed it up, saying, "the story of our season", Harbour View made them pay three minutes later.

Senior dribbled out of his half in right midfield and blasted a low shot at goal from 20-odd yards, the ball beating Village's keeper, who was slow to react.