D-Day for JPL playoff hopefuls
Published:Friday | September 10, 2021 | 12:10 AMLivingston Scott/Gleaner Writer
Portmore United coach Garnet Lawrence knows that nothing but a victory will suffice if his team is to secure a spot in the Jamaica Premier League (JPL) playoffs when they face league leaders Waterhouse in the final round of matches this morning at 10 a.m. at the UWI-JFF-Captain Horace Burrell Centre of Excellence.
Waterhouse (16 points) lead the league on goal difference over Tivoli Gardens, with the pair closely followed by Cavalier, Vere, and Mount Pleasant on 15 and Dundeholden on 14 to complete the top six.
Portmore currently occupy seventh place with 13 points, and Harbour View, who are still in with a chance, are next on 12 points.
Although a point might still be enough to see Portmore through if Dundeholden are held to a draw, Lawrence is under no illusion and has nothing but three points on his mind.
“Things are a bit tentative right now, but we are still in a little of a mix. If we could start the Waterhouse match like how we started the second half of the Cavalier (last) match, it will be good for us. But definitely, we are going to try our best to get the win because we have to win,” Lawrence said.
Portmore slipped from the top of the league to their present position in just two weeks, however, they will be boosted by the return of Ricardo Morris from international duties, and central midfielder Seigel Knight is said to have fully recovered from his injury.
Both missed Portmore’s last game, a 3-1 defeat to Cavalier.
However, Waterhouse, who started the league slowly, have been flying over the last three weeks with three straight wins and 12 goals in the process.
Meanwhile, wins for Dundeholden and Mount Pleasant will secure their playoff spots on the day, while Harbour View must win to keep their hopes alive, but even then, they will still have to depend on other results.
In other games today, Dundeholden play Mount Pleasant at 1 p.m., and Harbour View tackle Arnett Gardens at 3:30 p.m.
Tomorrow, Tivoli play Molynes United at 12 noon, and Vere entertain Cavalier at 2:30 p.m. Today’s Matches:
Portmore vs Waterhouse @ 1o:00 a.m.
Dunbeholden vs Mount Pleasant @ 1:00 p.m.
Harbour View vs Arnett Gardens @ 3:30 p.m.
Tomorrow’s Matches:
Tivoli Gardens vs Molynes @ 12:00 p.m.
Vere vs Cavalier 2:30 p.m.