Arnett Gardens FC …1

Phang (38th)

Montego Bay United..1

Williams (90th)

RED Stripe Premier League (RSPL) champions Montego Bay United stubbornly held off leaders Arnett Gardens to earn a point with a 90th minute penalty in a late kick-off at the Anthony Spaudling Sport Complex on Sunday.

Andrew Phang put Arnett Gardens ahead from the spot seven minutes before the half-time break, while Dino Williams did likewise on the brink of full time to throw a lifeline to Montego Bay United after Arnett Gardens went down to 10 men when Jabeur Johnson was red-carded in minute 88.

The game was evenly contested with both sides missing good scoring chances — Arnett Gardens more so in the first half with Michaelos Martin no less than four times failing to score from good openings. Martin was eventually fouled in the area that brought Arnett Gardens their penalty.

However, Montego Bay made a double change entering the second half and matched their hosts’ enterprise.

With 20 minutes remaining the visitors began to look threatening, and coach Jerome Waite, becoming aware that a one-goal lead was a mere thread of tenuous strength on which to cling, introduced Kevin Wilson and Marcelino Blackburn for Andre Clennon and Martin, respectively, in a nine-minute period.

This move, however, seemed to backfire as neither of the changes added the desired goal-scoring thrust at a time when Arnett Gardens appeared to have lost concentration. The final result was that on the stroke of full time Montego Bay equalised.

It was a result with which coach Carlos Garcia was not satisfied. “I was not satisfied with a point. We should have won the game. I thought that Montego Bay United had created enough good scoring chances to leave the stadium with all three points.”

“We dropped a point in a game that we should have won,” Arnett Garden’s Waite confessed, adding that they “gave them too much room to operate and eventually made the error and it resulted in a penalty that they scored to tie the game”.

“We still have another seven games to go and today’s result is an indication that we just have to continue winning to reach the semi-final,” Waite added.

Teams:

Arnett Gardens – Peter Harrison, Oneil Thompson, Dicoy Williams, Renae Lloyd, Marvin Morgan, Kenniel Hyde, Andrew Phang, Michaelos Martin (Macelino Blackburn 79th), Andre Clennon (Kevin Wilson 70th), Leon Strickland (Dasha Satchwell 61st)

Subs not used: Damian Hyatt, Jason Moore, Shaquille Dyer, Kemal Malcolm

Booked: Phang (23rd), Johnson (red card 88th)

Montego Bay United – Jacomeno Barrett, Winston Wilkinson, Troy Smith, Kashief Brown (Omar Gordon 46th), O’Cary Spence (Ricardo Morris 46th), Dwayne Ambusley, Orlando McBayne, Fabian McCarthy (Allan Ottey 73rd), Dino Williams, Ronaldo Rodney, Dwayne Holmes

Subs not used: David Swaby, John Barrett, Keneil Kirlew, Cornelius Henry

Booked: Smith (30th), Wilkinson (45th), Williams (68th), Ottey (78th)

Referee: Courtney Campbell

Assistant Referees: Lloyd Reader, Omar Mills

Fourth Official: Tyrone Robinson

Match Commissioner: Anthony Cooke