Reno on top
FORMER champions Reno FC are sure of a spot in the mid-season finals of the Jamaica Football Federation’s Captain’s Bakery and Grill/Charley’s JB Rum Western Confederation Super League with a round to go on Sunday, despite losing to Savannah SC in their 10th round game on the weekend.
Even with Reno’s second loss of the season, other favoured teams also lost points ensuring that Reno FC’s 22 points will be enough to get them in the consolation game set for February 9.
The Westmoreland club who will play out of contention defending champions Wadadah FC at Frome on Sunday, will still advance even with a loss as only one team, Savannah SC, who will play Sandals Whitehouse, can surpass them in the point’s tables.
The stage has been set for a dramatic final day of the first round on Sunday with Savannah SC, Sandals Whitehouse and last season’s mid-season champions Tomorrow’s People, all in with a chance of joining Reno FC in the mid-season contest a week from Sunday.
Tomorrow’s People who had scored 17 goals in their previous four games, all wins, dropped two valuable points on Tuesday after playing out a 0-0 draw against Granville at the Granville Community Centre and are in third place on 18 points tied with Sandals, but with a better goal difference.
Wadadah FC were also held scoreless by Granville at the UDC field on Tuesday, their second straight game without a win and slipped to sixth position on 16 points, tied with Holland United who have a better goal difference.
The loss also ended Wadadah’s slim chances of qualifying for the mid-season final.
The race for the finals was thrown wide open on Sunday after leaders Reno FC and then second-placed Sandals Whitehouse both suffered 2-1 upset losses to Savannah SC and Holland United respectively.
On Sunday, Savannah SC, champions two years ago, won back-to-back games for the second time with a big come-from-behind victory over Reno, who were threatening to run away from the field.
Denmark Gillings scored his joint league leading ninth goal in the 12th minute to give Reno the lead, but Shamar Bernard brought the ‘home’ team level in the 44th minute just before the half-time break, before Shanar Cattan gave them all three points in the
79th minute.
Sandals Whitehouse’s five-game win streak also came to a halt when Holland United bounced back from back-to-back losses to win their fourth game of the campaign.
Sandals gifted the home team the lead in the 9th minute with an own goal and Romaine Lewis doubled the advantage in the 14th minute.
Tristan Sommerville pulled one back for Sandals in the 65th minute, but that was all they could muster on the day.
Lucea FC continued their recovery with a second straight win, edging Norwood Strikers 2-1 in Lucea to extend their winless run to six games during which they have managed just a single point.
Chivion Anderson in the 26th minute and Omar Davis in the 38th minute gave Lucea a
2-0 lead at half-time before Marvin Muirhead scored his first of the season in the 51st minute.
Aldaine Grant scored a hat trick to lead Village United to a 4-1 win over Duanvale in the only game played on Saturday at the Elliston Wakeland Centre.
Grant scored in the sixth, 32nd and 68th minutes, while Romando Anderson got one in the 40th minute, as Village led 3-1 at half-time after Orlando Grey had managed to draw Duanvale level with his 12th minute strike.