Dog fight on for top-six spots
Published:Sunday | April 30, 2023 | 12:18 AMLivingston Scott - Gleaner Writer
ALL ROADS lead to Ferdie Neita Park for this afternoon’s crucial Jamaica Premier League (JPL) encounter between sixth-place Waterhouse and seventh-place Portmore United, in the penultimate round of games, as the playoff race tightens with only two spots remaining.
Just four points separate the teams in the table. Waterhouse have 40 points from their 24 games and would eliminate Portmore’s challenge with a draw.
However, the Drewsland-based team would still require a win in the event that Dunbeholden (35 points) get a victory over Chapelton.
Waterhouse have won six of their last eight games, with just one defeat and the team is on a high following their recent win over a strong Cavalier side.
Waterhouse assistant coach, Damion Gordon, knows his team will be in for a tough match but said their destiny is in their hands.
Gordon is also pleased to see the team running into form at this stage of the campaign.
“The teams we have remaining are people who are looking to solidify their place in the top six, so we know we are in for some really hard matches.
“But it is in our hands. It is not going to be easy, so we have to continue doing our homework on the opposition and bring our best performances to the games,” he said.
“Defensively, we have to be organised and in that we can get that transition we need going forward. But it’s only a matter of time before we start getting the benefits from all those chances we are creating up front. But we are taking it game by game,” he insists.
A win for Portmore would put them right back in the hunt, as they would only be a point off their opponents going into next week’s final round of matches.
STAYING IN THE RACE
Coach Phillip Williams knows all too well that only a victory can save their season. However, he is confident his team has the pedigree and resilience to carve out the result needed to stay in the race.
“Our season depends on us getting a positive result from this game. That’s how important this game is to us,” he emphasised.
Portmore were on a seven-match unbeaten run before that red hot form came to a stall a couple weeks ago with defeat to Cavalier; however, Williams saw that as just a blip in their streak, and he expects his team to play true to form when it matters most.
“Waterhouse is a quality, well-coached team. But Portmore are no pushovers and we believe that the consistency of our performance and quality of our players will allow us to achieve the result that we desire,” he said.
Meanwhile, Dunbeholden will fancy their chance of taking maximum points at the expense of relegated Chapelton, but they will still need the result in the Waterhouse-Portmore game to go their way to stay alive.
Humble Lion (40) are not out of the woods yet either. Like Waterhouse, they need three points to consolidate their position in the top six.
They face a very difficult task against third-place Mount Pleasant (45), who have their eye on a top-two finish.
Arnett Gardens lead the standings with 49 points. Cavalier are in second on 46 points.