'We know how to rebound'- Tivoli's coach praises fighting spirit as leaders rally to earn draw at Arnett

Ryon Jones, Gleaner Writer

Tivoli Gardens saw their lead atop the Digicel Premier League reduced to five points following the latest round of games on Sunday, when they had to come from behind to earn a two-all draw with Arnett Gardens at Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex.

Tivoli's head coach, Glendon 'Admiral' Bailey, took some positives from the game, however, as his charges displayed good fighting spirit to come from two goals down after Arnett Gardens' captain, Kirk Ramsey (33rd) and Nicholas Dodd (62nd) had given their team the advantage. Tivoli responded through goals from Christopher Jackson (65th) and Roland Dean (80th).

"We always know how to rebound," Bailey declared. "We didn't get anything out of the first half; we made some adjustments in the second half, talked about what we needed to do and I think we applied ourselves very well in the second half."

The Junglists took a deserved lead in the 33rd minute when Ramsey's 30-yard effort flew past Tivoli's custodian, Edsel Scott.

Despite Tivoli emerging more purposeful in the second half and Arnett going down to 10 players after Ryan Powell was given marching orders in the 52nd minute - subsequent to him committing his second bookable offence - it was the home team that doubled their advantage.

Penalty scored

Dodd converted a 62nd-minute penalty, which was awarded after Tivoli's Lennox Wright used his hand to clear a headed effort from Ramsey off the line.

Wright was ejected for the offence, leaving both teams with 10 players.

This did not dampen Tivoli's spirit and they soon pulled a goal back in the 65th minute, when Christopher Jackson got the final touch to a well-delivered Keammar Daley corner kick.

Dean was then allowed too much time and space in the box, which allowed him to turn and fire home in the 80th minute for his fifth goal of the season.

Tivoli now sit on 60 points, five more than Boys' Town, which beat Portmore United 1-0, thanks to a brilliant Anthony Bennett free-kick goal that was struck from 30 yards.

Their pursuers do not overly perturb Bailey, however, as he seeks to remain focused.

"Right through the season it was Portmore, one time we were only leading by a point; then it was Harbour View; now it is Boys' Town," Bailey outlined.

"So we just have to maintain our focus on the job at hand, because at the end of the day if you win the competition by 15 points, or by one point or by goal difference, you still win the competition," he added.

The result left the Junglists lying eighth in the 12-team table on 40 points, the same as Reno and Village United, respectively, which are higher placed by virtue of a superior goal difference, with one set of games remaining in the third round.

Paul 'Tegat' Davis, coach of Arnett, has confidence in his players and attributed the result to a mere lapse in concentration.

"We are confident these guys can play football. It is just that we lapsed in terms of the midfield," Davis stated.

"I am disappointed because we played a good tactical game until we went down to 10 men, leading 2-0 and then the midfield just got carried away, playing all over the field stupidly," he further expressed.