Audley Boyd, Assistant Editor - Sport

RENO will have a difficult time trying to curb a poor run and battered pride when they host leaders Harbour View in a Digicel Premier League matchup at Frome Sports Ground today at 4 p.m.

The contest is one of five scheduled, with the Arnett Gardens-Tivoli Gardens fixture postponed due to the funeral service for Mario Mullings, a Tivoli Gardens Football Club member.

For the game out west, both teams are desperate for full points. Harbour View are looking to maintain their placing in the tight battle for the championship, while Reno are keen to breathe life into their struggle to stave off relegation.

Harbour View are top of the table with 53 points, the same as defending champions Portmore United. However, they have a superior goal difference of 25 to 21. Reno are 11th in the 12-team competition with 21 points, the same as bottom-place Village United.

Maintaining form

Besides positions, another major contrast is the teams' form. While Reno have lost all four matches this round, including 5-0 at home to Boys' Town a fortnight ago, Harbour View have hit a higher gear this round and emerged victorious in all their fixtures.

"One of our major problems has been goalkeeping," noted Reno's technical director Wendell Downswell. "Since we lost Taylor (Dennis) to the Under-20s, we've not been able to settle the goalkeeping aspect. Now that he's back, we hope that'll change."

The Westmoreland team had earlier lost another goalie, Gavine Barrett, to injury and while Downswell reckons it will not be easy, he believes it is time to snap a losing streak, which saw them flop to a 3-0 defeat at Portmore last week.

"We know they (Harbour View) are going to be a tough side and traditionally it has been a good game between both teams. The last time they came we led and they came back and the game ended one-all," he pointed out.

They played a second time this season, drawing 0-0 at Compound when Harbour View missed a penalty.

"We're looking forward to the challenge and despite the fact that they're at the top, it would be the ideal team to start winning against. So we'll be doing everything necessary to get a victory."

Gary McIntosh is their talisman and if he can add to his eight goals this season, that would aid their ambitions for a win.

Nicholy Findlayson and O'Brian Woodbine, who have each scored three goals, as well as Fabian Blake and Patrick Graham, are others capable of playing a key role in their team's quest.

Avoiding complacency

Harbour View's objective is pretty straightforward - get the big W. And while they look to set about that task, they aim to avoid complacency.

"You can't take anything for granted," indicated their assistant coach Donovan 'DV' Hayles. "In a league situation it is imperative that you don't drop points to a bottom team that other top teams are likely to get three points from, or have already got three points from."

He added: "We're playing away from home and even though Reno lost heavily at home (against Portmore), based on the response of their coaching staff, I'm sure that they'll be putting everything into place to ensure that is doesn't happen again and that they can appease their fans."

The Stars of the East will welcome the return of striker Denzil Watson, who missed the last game through an accumulation of yellow cards.

His return is more significant in lieu of the absence of three key players - their leading goal-getters Lovel Palmer (eight) and Marcelino Blackburn (seven), along with central midfielder Richard Edwards, who sometimes captains the team. All have been ruled out through an accumulation of cards.

"It's an opportunity for other players and I think we've very capable replacements," Hayles pointed out. "We're not looking any excuse, we've to get three points. That's the bottom line."

Besides Watson, who scored nine of his 10 goals while representing Boys' Town earlier this season, Harbour View are loaded with weapons with Kavin Bryan and Jermaine Hue, who have tallied nine goals combined, headlining a fairly deep squad.

Claiming maximum points is prime for title-chasing Boys' Town and Rivoli, who are seeking to shore up their position in the standings and more.

"The game against Boys' Town on Sunday is more than significant because Boys' Town are the team we'll play in the Flow Champions Cup semi-finals, so we have a duty to come out of that game with an advantage," noted veteran coach Bradley Stewart, who has brought marked improvements to the Spanish Town team.

He added: "For the Premier League, it's critical to move up the table; we want to get to a safe spot. For my team, it'd be safer out of the relegation grouping."

Breathing space

They have some breathing space at eighth, on 27 points, winning and drawing once in their last four fixtures. Three have been against top-six opponents Portmore, Waterhouse and Harbour View, which beat them 1-0 with a last-gasp, disputed penalty last week.

Though lowly placed, they have the league's top marksman, Devon Hodges (14 goals), who has been getting good support from Valentine Gardener, who has been scoring at nearly goal-a-game pace over the past month.

"He is a small-bodied player but he has excellent skill and qualities that complement what we've been doing as a team," noted Stewart of Gardener's recent tallying.

Himself and Hodges equally shared four goals in their midweek 4-0 Flow all-island knockout victory over Duhaney Park and should present most dangers to Boys' Town, who moved within seven points of the leaders with a 2-1 win over St Georges last Sunday.

Rein in the leaders

"We want to see how best we can rein in the leaders," said Andrew Price, Boys' Town's technical director. "We want to keep on winning games and based on the fact that we're playing away from home, we're still going there to get a positive result."

In 13 away matches this season, Boys' Town have won four times and drawn six. The last time they travelled they disappointed the Reno faithful with a 5-0 hammering at Frome.

Such a scoreline appears highly improbable in this afternoon's contest but if Boys' Town are going to win, it is likely that they will get a goal from Peter Keyes (11 goals), George Vernal (six), captain Michael Campbell (five) and Renae Lloyd (four).

TODAY'S GAMES