Hot Portmore burn Sporting

Richard Bryan, Gleaner Writer

In a performance which coach Calvin Lewis said would typify a challenge for the overall title, Red Stripe Premier League first end-of-round champions Portmore United began the second round the way they began the first, defeating Sporting Central Academy 2-1.

It was not an all too surprising result since Sporting have only defeated Portmore once in three seasons. The only difference this time was the Clarendon team's Brancourt venue and not Portmore's Ferdie Neita Park.

"We have started to realise we can go all the way," said Lewis.

"The belief is there. When we go on the road, we are doing well, which is a problem for most teams," he added.

However, even before he game, Sporting Central had a critical setback as Bahamian Leslie St Fleur, the striker who had seemingly solved their goalscoring woes of the past, had returned home.

First-half goals

All three goals came in a refreshing first half, where neither team held back little in attack.

Ewan Grandison (19th, 44th) stole the spotlight and all the points for Portmore with two well-taken goals, twice defeating Sporting's goalkeeper with strikes from just inside the six-yard area.

Each showed a poacher's instinct and clinical response, beginning with a left-footed volley inside the six-yard area in the 19th minute, before he closed out the half by brushing off his marker - Dale Watson - when the two were caught in a tangle and keeping his balance to execute a clean grounder from the right foot past goalkeeper Sanchez Lloyd at his near post.

The latter had come merely three minutes after the home side secured an equaliser, after getting a dubious penalty from referee Raymond Bogle when Hughan Gray and a defender crashed to a heap after the two missed karate-like attempts at getting to a deflected ball in the Portmore 18-yard box.

Levaughn Williams sent goalie Sean-Shaven Paul the wrong way to score, briefly spawning hope they could nab Portmore finally at home.

Despite the early setback when their top striker last year, Francois Swaby, had to be substituted in only the 14th minute, the Clarendonians were their typically glossy self - rich in movements and passes, but wasteful and confused before the goal.

Coach Vassell 'Tutu' Reynolds briefly reflected on the effect of no longer having Fleur ,who has since returned to The Bahamas, but remains hopeful he has good enough players to score goals and win matches.

"You have to stop and wonder what would have happened if he were present with the same chances, but I think his absence took away from the quality of the game," Reynolds said.

"We acquitted ourselves well despite the score and I am not perturbed. Portmore scored two out of nowhere. I have to believe I can pin our hopes on players like Levaughn Williams, Jamoly Powell, Hughan Gray and Keith Kelly."