FORMER champions Montego Bay United (MBU) extended their lead atop the 2015-16 Red Stripe Premier League (RSPL) with a hard-fought 2-0 win over Tivoli Gardens at the Edward Seaga Complex yesterday.

The in-form Dino Williams scored both goals in the fourth and 45th minutes to improve his tally to eight as the league’s leading scorer. The win pushed MBU up to 17 points, while Tivoli Gardens slipped from third to fifth in the 12-team standings on 11 points.

With the hosts previously unbeaten in their last three fixtures, the anticipation was built around a close encounter. But the game was more a contest of braun, which defeated the promise of quality of play between two good sides. In the end of the bruising contest, referee Kevin Morrison responded by dishing out five yellow cards, four to MBU.

It was the visitors who dominated the early exchanges and went in front courtesy of a header from Williams, who capitalised on a communication breakdown between goalkeeper Edsel Scott and defender Ranike Anderson.

MBU continued to apply pressure against a timid-looking Tivoli Gardens unit and went to the break 2-0 up when Williams again popped up to head in a well-weighted corner kick from Owayne Gordon.

The score remained unchanged for the second 45 minutes, but a rejuvenated Tivoli Gardens took control at the resumption and created numerous chances. The West Kingston-based team dominated possession and pulled a few passes together from the middle of the park, but lacked clinical finishing in the final third.

Winning Coach Timothy Hankinson was pleased with the win, but believes there is still more work to be done.

“I think our possession should have been better; I think that we didn’t support the attack quickly enough,” Hankinson told journalists in a post-game interview.

His counterpart Christopher Bender lamented his team’s sub-standard defensive work.

“I thought we played well, but somewhere midway the first half we weren’t as good in terms of our concentration. As a unit we didn’t defend well and we made too many individuals mistakes at the back,” he said.

Meanwhile, second-placed Portmore United moved up to 15 points following a 1-1 result against FC Reno who provisionally moved into third place on 12 points. Boys’ Town also made a provisional move to eighth in the standings on nine points following a 1-0 win over Cavalier SC, who slipped to ninth on eight points.

Teams:

Tivoli Gardens — Edsel Scott, Shavar Campbell (Rodico Wellington 57th), Theo Brown, Ranike Anderson, Shawn McKoy, Rohan Reid, Andre Morgan, Nickoy Christian (Otis Ffriend 46th), Jermaine Johnson, Junior Flemmings (Narada Brown 81st), Miguel Ricketts

Subs not used: Davin Watkins, Christopher Jackson, Romaine Brackenridge, Leroy Jones

Booked: McKoy (63rd)

Montego Bay United- Jacomeno Barrett, John Barrett, Owayne Gordon (Cory Hylton 85th), Dino Williams (Kashief Brown 46th), Allan Ottey, Dwayne Ambusely, Keniel Kirlew, Ronaldo Rodney, Donavan Carey, Cordell Simpson, Kemar Drake

Subs not used: Romaine Bowers, Winston Wilkinson, Dwayne Holmes, Ramone Sibley, Romario Clarke

Booked: Rodney (49th), Drake (82nd), Carey (88th), Barrett (90+3)

Referee: Kevin Morrison

Assistant referees: Keeble Williams, Damian Williams

Fourth official: Gawane Scott

Match Commissary: Charles Barrett

— Sherdon Cowan