MAY PEN, Clarendon — Humble Lion moved further away from the Red Stripe Premier League relegation zone with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Waterhouse at Effortville yesterday.

Defender Tyrone Sawyers scored the winner, heading home Fabian Pascoe’s in swinging corner five minutes from time.

Shortly after the goal, Waterhouse’s wing-back Hughan Gray was ejected for violent conduct.

The result means Humble Lion are now six points clear of the relegation zone.

“It wasn’t a spectacular game, but a good gutsy performance,” said winning coach Geoffrey Maxwell. “I thought both teams really wanted it and slugged it out and fortunately we came up with the winner.”

The defeat, meanwhile, ended Waterhouse’s already slim chance of qualifying for the second End-of-Round final. The Drewsland outfit remained on 32 points, sixth in the overall standings.

Coach Donovan Duckie said they will regroup to intensify their hunt for the league title.

“I thought it was a good game,” he said. “Tactically, the teams were evenly matched and we just got separated by a soft goal.

“We can’t make the End-of-Round final, but I think we still have a solid platform to build on and win the league so we just have to continue to work hard and look forward to the third round.”