Kwesi Mugisa, Staff Reporter
Waterhouse's goalscorer Newton Sterling braces as Tivoli Gardens defender Christopher Jackson lifts his boot high to kick the ball while challenging from behind, during the Cash Plus Premier League match at Edward Seaga Sports Complex yesterday. Tivoli Gardens won 2-1. - Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer
A furious second-half spell from Tivoli Gardens saw them come from behind to stump Waterhouse 2-1 in the Cash Plus Premier League (CPPL) at the Edward Seaga Sports Complex yesterday and stay top of the standings, if only temporarily, on 56 points.
That was three ahead of Portmore United, who at 53 were due to play Seba United in last night's late game at Ferdie Neita Park.
Finding themselves pegged back by a first-half goal from a Waterhouse team desirous of at least maintaining their place in the top six, it was a totally different Tivoli team that came out for the second half and it was the Drewsland team who found themselves back-pedalling from the whistle.
In fact, it was just one minute after the restart that Sheldon Palmer broke away from a napping Waterhouse back line, before rounding an onrushing Richard McCallum and firing the ball into the back of an empty net, to cancel the Waterhouse advantage.
Waterhouse had surged into the lead when a well-weighted pass from midfielder Damian Williams had found striker Jomo Gordon streaking away down the right flank. Gordon's powerful cross past the face of goal was then put away by Sterling from close range with a minute left to go in the half.
TIVOLI DOMINATE
However, after Palmer's goal in the opening minutes of the half, it was all Tivoli.
Forwards Navion Boyd and Jermaine Grey constantly seemed to march through the middle of the field and away dangerously into the Waterhouse third. A long-range blast by Kevin Blackford, who found himself with room at the edge of the 18-yard area, went just wide of goal and would have been out of the reach of Waterhouse custodian McCallum.
The resilience of Christopher Jackson would provide Blackford with a much closer opportunity from which he did not miss. Sprinting down the left flank to keep in play a ball which looked to be gone, Jackson picked out a loosely marked Blackford, who headed into the goal from six yards away.
Counterattack plan
Sterling, who had a solid game for Waterhouse up front, could have saved a point for the Drewsland team but saw his header from a tough angle palmed away by Tivoli keeper Leon Gordon in the 80th minute.
"In the second half we came out and shut down their midfield and caught them on the counter, it was the plan and they did an excellent job," said Tivoli coach Desmond Francis.
"We have been looking to attack from the flank since week and that is what worked for us out here today," he added. Waterhouse coach Wayne Fairclough believed his team was simply careless once they had taken the first-half lead.
"I think we played well enough to win today but our defensive unit was caught sleeping and both goals came from counters," he said.
"We had our chances, we squandered them and we lost. We will go home and go back to the drawing board," he added.
Sheldon Palmer 46th
Kevin Blackford 53rd
Newton Sterling 44th
