Ainsley Walters, Freelance Writer
Portmore United captain Anthony Modeste (right) takes the Cash Plus Premier League mid-season final trophy from Carlos Hill (third left), chairman and CEO of sponsors Cash Plus Limited, during the presentation ceremony which followed the game at the Harbour View Mini Stadium last night. Portmore won 1-0. - Ian Allen/Staff Photographer
RICARDO COUSINS last night rocketed a fierce free kick from about 28 yards past Edsel Scott to hand Portmore United a 1-0 victory over Tivoli Gardens in the first-round final of the Cash Plus Premier League at the Harbour View Mini Stadium.
Cousins' 70th-minute goal, his sixth of the season, took a slight deflection off a Tivoli defender on its way into goal, whizzing past Scott, who hardly had time to react to the midfielder's well-struck shot.
Tivoli, who were being beaten for the second time this season by Portmore United, ended the match with 10 men as referee Dave Peterkin ejected striker Roberto Fletcher in the 89th minute.
Tivoli got the first real chance of the match when Fletcher got around Anthony Modeste trying to clear a ball just on the edge of the area. The speedy Tivoli player attempted to lob goalkeeper Shawn Sawyers advancing off his line, but couldn't.
Strong start
Portmore got their chances afterwards and ended the half in a flourish as Steven Morrissey finally got into a shooting position on the right side after being fed a pass from midfield by Mario Swaby. However, the former Under-21 league star booted his shot over the bar.
Portmore started the second-half strong, forcing Tivoli to make hurried clearances but Barrett and Morrissey were just not up to the task, kept at bay by their markers.
Tivoli gradually found their footing and almost led in the 65th minute when Horace Howell turned sweetly just inside the box, wrong-footing Portmore defenders, and cracked a powerful shot but Sawyers proved equal to the task, making a save off his line in the six-yard box.
With 20 minutes left on the clock, Cousins made Portmore $250,000 richer, notching another cracking goal off his neon coloured-boot. Tivoli got $150,000.
