File photos
From left, Arnett Gardens' Everton Bunsie, and Harbour View's Jermaine Hue.

Nodley Wright, Freelance Writer

With two sets of matches, including today's to go before the end of the second round of the Cash Plus Premier League, three teams are in the running for the two places in the final.

The three, Waterhouse who have now taken the lead in the round with 19 points, the same as Tivoli Gardens, but with a superior goal difference, Tivoli Gardens and Harbour View with 16. Of them Waterhouse should be given top position as added to their superior goal difference so far, they have the best schedule, hosting Village United, the bottom-placed club and close out the round against August Town, second from bottom.

Waterhouse it appears believe that there is no way they will not make this final and have cut their attendance fee by $100 to $200 to give their fans a treat according to one of their club officials.

Tivoli Gardens and Harbour View who face each other today close out the round with the tough St Georges at Lynch Park and Arnett Gardens at Tony Spaulding Sports Complex respectively. With a setup like that it would be foolhardy to bet against Waterhouse even though the unseeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga destroyed all before him including Rafael Nadal to advance to today's final of the Australian Open tennis tournament. The major difference though is that Tsonga's pedigree was established. The same cannot be said of Village and August Town.

Tivoli chances good

That effectively leaves the former second round front-runners Tivoli Gardens and Harbour View to battle it out for the remaining place and as far as Harbour View's coach Lenworth Hyde Sr is concerned, their chances are good.

"It looks good but we have to win tomorrow," the man who once wore the colours of Tivoli Gardens said yesterday.

"It is never easy playing Tivoli at Tivoli, but looking at the situation we have a good chance. In their last two games they lost to Waterhouse and drew with Boys' Town and we are confident that if we go there and play up to ability we can win," added Hyde.

The reasons for Hyde's optimism are clear.

Besides an apparent fall in form, Harbour View, outside of Portmore have probably the deepest squad in the entire league. In Jermaine Hue they have a classy player who could decide a game with a moment of brilliance. There are also the likes of Robert Scarlett, top strikers Fabian Taylor and Kavin Bryan, Christopher Harvey, Jermaine Taylor, the merging Lance Laing, Keith Kelly, Lovel Palmer and the brilliant goalkeeper Dwayne Miller. Fabian Taylor and Kavin Bryan formed the most deadly partnership in the league last season and they, according to Hyde, and especially Taylor are due for some goals having not scored in the last two games.

Goal scoring chances, Hyde said, are inevitable and "once we put them away and keep a clean sheet we should be alright".

For Bryan Rose, ending this game pointless could mean curtains for Tivoli Gardens' chances.

"It is a crucial match and one that we really have to get some points from. If we do not get any points then we could be out of the end of round final," said Rose, manager of the Tivoli Gardens team.

"We know the situation that faces us and we are prepared to put 100 per cent into it. Harbour View are a good competitive team but our future is in our hands and we are prepared to give it all that it will take," he added.

With Kasai Hinds still out with a long term injury, the leadership in terms of play and motivational ability will continue to fall on the shoulders of his younger brother Christopher Jackson. He should get good support from Oraine Simpson, Victor Thompson, the sound Akeem Weir, Denroy Gordon, goalkeeper Edsel Scott, Craig Stewart, Roland Dean, youngsters Navion Boyd and Hugh Howell.

In other games Boys' Town should be given the edge over poor travellers St Georges when they meet at Collie Smith Drive, even though the visitors could be spurred by the hurt of only their second home loss for the season and the return of four key players. Sporting Central, currently in sixth place are inching their way back up the table and would want to continue that climb from the tightly-knit lower end of the table. A win over second from bottom August Town at Brancourt should not be above them.

Closely contested

Clashes between Arnett Gardens and Portmore United are always closely contested and today's should be no different especially with Arnett Gardens being able to count on the availability of stalwarts Kevin Wilson and Everton Bunsie and the motivational powers of coach Jerome Waite who has led them to seven points in three games. Portmore United will welcome back the services of Rudolph Austin who was unfairly red-carded against Seba United a week ago. With Austin, a fitter Ricardo Cousins, Mario Swaby, Wolry Wolfe and company, the fans should be in for a treat with the bonus of the match being free.

Reno were scheduled to host Seba United today, but have successfully earned a postponement to attend the funeral of former Jamaica and Reno player Caple Donaldson.

Today's games