TOLL GATE, Clarendon — Sporting Central Academy suffered a setback in their bid to stave off relegation from the Red Stripe Premier League following a 1-0 defeat to title holders Harbour View, who all but confirmed their semi-final spot with this controversial win at Juici Patties Park yesterday.

Nicholas Beckett scored the winner on 73 minutes, guiding home a free kick from the edge of the box — which resulted from a contentious moment in the game after referee Raymond Bogle adjudged that the Sporting Central goalkeeper, Allien Whittaker, handled the ball outside the 18-yard area (for which he was shown a yellow card).

The home team has, however, taken issue with the call, noting that Whittaker had actually controlled the ball with his chest before making the subsequent clearance.

“If he handled the ball outside the box, shouldn’t that be a red card?” queried one member of Sporting’s management team.

Their coach, Nigel Stewart, also believes the loss was hard to take. “We deserved at least a point from this game,” he noted. “It was a very competitive game up to that point; end to end action.”

While the result means that Harbour View have now tallied 51 points — a total that can only be equalled, but cannot be surpassed, by two of the eight teams currently outside of the top four — Sporting have now found themselves in a familiar position of a relegation battle with just four games until the end of the preliminary phase.

For the moment, though, they are at least two points clear of the drop zone, on 34, which could be further reduced tonight when Portmore United and Boys’ Town — two teams below Sporting — do battle at the Ferdie Neita Park.

Sporting’s coach Stewart has, however, noted that his team is primed for the run-in, which includes games against fellow struggles Rivoli United and August Town.

“There are no nerves,” said Stewart. “We have been playing well, and we would have gotten a point today if it wasn’t for that error from the referee.”

— Oshane Tobias