Tivoli Gardens secured their fourth win of the 2015-16 Red Stripe Premier League (RSPL) season after clipping Rivoli United 1-0 in a hard-fought contest at Spanish Town Prison Oval yesterday.

Former national Under-20 Captain Junior Flemming found the all-important strike in the 25th minute.

The win provisionally pushed Tivoli Gardens into third position on 14 points, while Rivoli have slipped to ninth position with 10 points.

The hosts started brightly and applied consistent pressure as they dominated the early exchanges. Rivoli had numerous opportunities to break the deadlock, but failed to capitalise.

Instead, it was Tivoli who went in front against the run of play when Flemmings converted a well-taken free kick from 25 yards out.

The score went unchanged for the remainder of the game as both teams were seemingly content with playing in the middle of the park.

Rivoli were once again quicker out the blocks at the resumption and orchestrated a number of useful build-ups, but the negative outcome in the attacking third continued.

Tivoli replied with some promising attacks, but suffered a similar fate. Their best chance of extending the lead came in the 81st minute when the fleet-footed Jermaine ‘Teddy’ Johnson broke away for a one-on-one with custodian Marlon Henry, but he failed to make the chance count.

Winning Coach Christopher Bender applauded his team’s effort.

“It was very crucial for us to get three points here and rebound after losing last week. The team gave a very disciplined and organised performance this afternoon and they played up to expectation,” he told journalists in a post-game interview.

Meanwhile, his counterpart Harold Thomas lamented his team’s lack of consistency.

“We created chances which we should have converted but didn’t and it’s the nature of the game sometimes. We will continue to work because we know we are on the right track and the results will come,” he said.

Teams:

Rivoli United — Marlon Henry, Fabian Gordon, Kemar Bennett, Kevin Graham, Troy Moulton, Raymond Williamson, Jeremy Nelson, Dellon Dixon (Owen Walters 74th), Kenny Lee (Dan Reid 61st) Cory Burke, Ross Burton.

Subs not used: Damian Campbell, Orlando Stewart, Patrick Shecklude, Luke Soares, Daniel Roberts

Booked: Dixon (53rd), Nelson (60th), Reid (63rd)

Tivoli Gardens — Edsel Scott, Ranike Anderson, Theo Brown, Nickoy Christian (Christopher Jackson 85th), Shavar Campbell, Andre Morgan, Shawn McKoy, Miguel Ricketts (Rodico Wellington 87th), Rohan Reid, Jermaine Johnson (Otis Ffriend 82nd), Junior Flemmings.

Subs not used: Davin Watkins, Romaine Brackenridge, Leroy Jones, Narada Brown

Booked: Morgan (31st)?, Brown (45+2), Christian (78th)

Referee: Daneon Parchment

Assistants: Oyinco McTaggart, Nicholas Anderson

Fourth Official: Odette Hamilton

Match Commissary: Magaret Sutherland

— Sherdon Cowan