A bit of Haitian flavour will be added to the Red Stripe Premier League (RSPL) when action resumes today after the playing of the Jackie Bell Knockout semi-final matches last weekend.

Waterhouse FC welcome rivals Boys’ Town FC to the Drewsland Stadium in a game set to kick-off at 5:00 pm.

The hosts, sitting in third place with 28 points after 18 rounds, have brought in two players from Haiti to strengthen their squad. They are Ronald Joseph, a central defender, and striker Chedlin Francoeur.

Their inclusion is expected to put added thrill into a clash that is historically hotly contested. Given the tightly bunched nature of the league standings, which sees two points separating the teams in fifth and 11th place, a victory, particularly for Boys’ Town, could be quite telling.

Waterhouse team manager Keith Sailsman said both imports are “registered to play”. He added that their addition should provide a fillip going into the last half of the season.

Waterhouse team manager Keith Sailsman said both imports are “registered to play”. He added that their addition should provide a fillip going into the last half of the season.

“We don’t have Jermain Anderson and Hugh Howell anymore. I think these two players boost the quality, in addition to the rest of the Waterhouse players in our squad,” he told the Jamaica Observer on Friday.

The popular Anderson, a bustling forward, recently moved to play in El Salvador, while the towering, deep-lying midfielder Howell has joined another local club.

Boys’ Town coach Andrew Price, though acknowledging his team’s disappointing ninth-place position on 21 points, said they are not overly concerned about their opponents.

“The table is still closely bunched, so if you win two or three games in a row you can definitely move significantly up the table. So it’s about being consistent and this time of the year is the time when Boys’ Town play its best football,” he said in reference to his team’s push for a top-four league finish, which would seal a place in the semi-final play-offs.

“I have no trepidation about them having Haitians within their line-up. We just need to defend properly and when we get the chances we put them away. I believe I have enough people within my squad who can go out there and do an effective job,” Price added.

In another encounter that is likely to produce plenty of sparks, the title-holders and leaders Harbour View FC (37 points) travel to the Effortville Community Centre in Clarendon to face 10th-placed Humble Lion (21) at 3:00 pm. The form of the Humble Lion team has been worrying of late, particularly when one considers that they led the RSPL in the early rounds.

Also at 3:00 pm, the other Clarendon-based outfit in the league, the sixth-placed Sporting Central FC (22 points), entertain cellar team August Town FC (18 points).

At 4:00 pm, Rivoli United, who are fifth on 23 points, host seventh-placed Cavalier SC (22) at the Spanish Town Prison Oval.

In the late game today, a battle of the struggling former champions will ensue at the Ferdie Neita Park in St Catherine. Portmore United, lying in 11th place, meet the visiting Tivoli Gardens FC at 7:00 pm.

Both teams have 21 points, but Tivoli are three places better off in eighth due to a superior goal difference.

Monday Night Football returns tomorrow after the beer company recently locked into a deal with new television partners TVJ. That game will feature fourth-placed Arnett Gardens FC (27 points) and second-placed Montego Bay United (32) at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex in South St Andrew, commencing at 8:30 pm.

Today’s RSPL matches

3:00 pm – Humble Lion vs Harbour View @ Effortville Community Centre

3:00 pm – Sporting Central vs August Town @ Juici Patties Park

4:00 pm – Rivoli United vs Cavalier @ Prison Oval

5:00 pm – Waterhouse vs Boys’ Town @ Drewsland Stadium

7:00 pm – Portmore United vs Tivoli Gardens @ Ferdie Neita Park

Tomorrow’s RSPL match

8:30 pm – Arnett Gardens vs Montego Bay @ Anthony Spaulding Complex

Haitians Chedlin Francoeur (left) and Ronald Joseph at yesterday’s training session at Drewsland.