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Dunbeholden brace for Mt Pleasant assault

Published:Sunday | November 10, 2019 | 12:00 AMNodley Wright - Sunday Gleaner Writer

If the form and/or stance of both camps prove true, Royal Lakes could be buzzing with excitement today when Dunbeholden FC and Mount Pleasant do battle in one of five games on in the final set of games in the third round.

This game pits the fourth-place Mount Pleasant on 16 points against the eighth-place Dunbeholden, who sit on 11 points.

Points and position do not matter especially to Dunbeholden’s President Donovan Witter, who believes that, not only does his team have the ammunition to get the job done, but that they have only been outplayed in one match.

“The reality is that we approach each game with one objective, which is to try and gain three points, and tomorrow’s (today’s) game will be no less so,” Witter said.

“We have analysed all the games that we have played so far and, apart from the first game where we lost 1-3 to Cavalier, we have not been out played by any team,” Witter declared boldly.

There is only one issue of concern for Dunbeholden heading into this big matchup.

“The major challenge that we will have is that our captain and senior defender Shaquille Dyer will be out on cards. Apart from that, we are physically and mentally ready.”

With Dyer out, Andre Dyce should anchor the backline with Nickoy Christian orchestrating the midfield. Dean-Andre Thomas should get good support from Andrae McFarlane and Rodave Murray who is recovering from his injuries.

IMPROVED GOALSCORING

Mount Pleasant’s Paul ‘Tegat’ Davis credits goalscoring for his team’s transformation.

“We are scoring goals. The chances that we are getting, we are now scoring. That is the major difference. It is nothing fancy, we are doing the simple things. Putting away chances is important,” said Davis, who took over from Dovovan Duckie early in the season.

Mount Pleasant had their best result with a 3-1 win over leaders Waterhouse and have not looked back since. One of the bright sparks for them is former national youth representative Jourdaine Fletcher, who has returned to form.

“All the players have started to believe, and as far as Fletcher is concerned, this guy wants to play, he is enjoying himself and we hope that he can continue to the end of the season.

“He was out in the cold and he has his eyes on the national team, and if he can keep his eyes there, then he will remain focused and we will continue to get good performances from him,” Davis said.

Others such as Daniel Green, Cardel Benbow and Ronaldo Rodney will be important if they are to get a victory.

Defending champions Portmore United will host leaders Waterhouse in the rematch of last season’s final. Based on form, Waterhouse are expected to exact revenge, while Humble Lion should be favoured to get the better of struggling UWI when both teams meet at Effortville.

Second-place Molynes United have been on a four-game winless run and will be happy to see 10th-place Tivoli Gardens, while bottom-of-the-table Vere United will be hoping home advantage will do the trick against the visiting Cavalier.

Today’s Games

- 3 p.m. Dunbeholden FC vs Mount Pleasant FA @ Royal Lakes

- 3 p.m. Humble Lion FC vs UWI FC @ Effortville Community Centre

- 3 p.m. Portmore United FC vs Waterhouse FC @ Prison Oval

- 3 p.m. Tivoli Gardens FC vs Molynes United FC @ Edward Seaga Complex

- 3 p.m. Vere United FC vs Cavalier FC @ Wembley Centre of Excellence

Tomorrow’s game

- 8 p.m. Harbour View FC vs Arnett Gardens FC @ Harbour View Stadium