Harbour View not afraid to take long road to success

Not shying away from the tough road to claim a domestic double, Harbour View head coach Ludlow Bernard is banking on his team showing the same mentality in their Jamaica Premier League playoff campaign to cup play when they face Portmore United in their Lynk Cup semi-final return leg at Stadium East today at 8 p.m.

Both teams are tied at 2-2 after a see-saw first-leg battle where both clubs failed to hold on to leads but demonstrated their offensive capabilities.

While Portmore United will enter the return leg in better health, having a full week to recover and recharge, Harbour View will be playing their third game in eight days after Monday's Jamaica Premier League quarterfinal win over Humble Lion.

Already in a situation where they had to manage Monday's games, Bernard said that the team had no qualms about taking the tough rough to success.

It seems that we are going to have to do it the extra-hard way. If you want to be champions, this is the stuff it is made of, and we have to exhibit it week in and week out," Bernard said on Monday.

Harbour View are no strangers to doing things the hard way after winning the JPL title last year and qualifying for the playoffs as the sixth seed in 2023.

But facing a strong Portmore United team, in particular striker Chevaughn Walsh, who scored a brace in that first-leg encounter, Bernard said they are hoping that they would be able to have available players who have not been used as yet to strengthen their ranks.

"We have to take it one game at a time. We know that it is going to be difficult against a very good Portmore team. With the wear and tear, we have to manage our players over the next couple of days. Hopefully, we can insert at least two more players that haven't featured as yet," Bernard said.

In the first game of the double-header at 5 p.m. Cavalier will face Dunbeholden in their second-leg encounter with a slim one-goal lead. An own goal from Shevon James was the difference despite Dunbeholden making things difficult for them in the first half. Dunbeholden will be without the guidance of head coach Harold Thomas on the sidelines as he was ejected during the second half of the first leg after arguing with the referee. Dunbeholden are also in the same position as Harbour View, having to play their third game in eight days after their JPL quarterfinal first leg against Mount Pleasant. Assistant coach Craig Richards believes that they are still in the race, encouraged by their first-leg display.

"[The] majority of the game we kept the ball well. The players were confident. There are several positives that we can take from it, and we are looking forward to the second leg," Richards said.

daniel.wheeler@gleanerjm.com

Lynk Cup semi-final double-header - Stadium East

Cavalier vs Dunbeholden - 5 p.m. Cavalier lead Dunbeholden 1-0 on aggregate

Portmore United vs Harbour View - 8 p.m. Tied 2-2 on aggregate