Daraine Luton, Freelance WriterMEADHAVEN UNITED held firm to their position atop the Jamaica National KSAFA Super League standings after hiking to a 3-0 win over Mountain View at Campion College yesterday.
Former Norman Manley Manning Cup captain Alfred Fagon gave Meadhaven the lead with a well-taken strike in the 23rd minute. Fagon's shot, a leftfooter, screamed past goalkeeper Damion Murphy at his near post.
His goal settled the butterflies in Meadhaven stomachs as 13 minutes earlier, Mountain View had squandered a glorious opportunity to take the lead. Then, Mark Francis hit a penalty, which he won, almost straight down the middle only to see Andrew Gibson make an easy save.
Davian Ellington, trying to prevent Francis from getting in a square, handled the ball in the penalty box which resulted in the penalty.
Dunstan Baker, Mountain View manager, said Francis opting to take the penalty himself was one of the many bad things his team did on the day.
BAD HABITS
"We lost because of bad habits. We never played to instructions. It would have been a different game if we had scored. Maybe it would have destroyed the moral of the other team," Baker said.
But as history would have it, Mountain View paid dearly for the missed penalty. Substitute Norman Bailey converted a Courtney Williams' cross in the 81st minute. The goal had its origin in the magical footwork of Andre Hickling, who had mesmerised the Mountain View defence before making the pass to Williams.
Three minutes from time, Rohan Williams, almost inadvertently, bid goodnight to Mountain View with a solo run that ended in him scoring Meadhaven's third goal.
"An ugly win is better than a pretty loss," was how Meadhaven's coach, Alrick Clarke, saw the game. His team, despite being Super League leaders, looked ordinary in their passing and off-the-ball movement.
"We are in the lead and we are trying our best to keep it this way. The Premier League is definitely our aim at this time. We are not going to lay down. We are going to play hard and hopefully the players can maintain the standard that they now show," Clarke said.
With 13 rounds of games gone and nine to come, Meadhaven, with 29 points, are four points clear of joint second-place teams August Town and Santos.
Santos lost 1-0 to Rae Town while August Town and the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) drew 1-1. In other games, Police National beat Bull Bay 2-1 to move 24 points and into joint fourth with Maverley/Hughenden, who beat Shortwood United 2-1 and Barbican beat Greenwich Town 2-1.
In the Major League, leaders Cavalier were held to a 0-0 scoreline by Duhaney Park.
