Cavalier eye second place, Harbour View look for stability
Published:Wednesday | January 10, 2024 | 12:07 AMLivingston Scott/Gleaner Writer
THE FIRST round of the Jamaica Premier League (JPL) closes with the final two rescheduled matches today at Stadium East.
In the first game at 3 p.m., Cavalier entertain Humble Lion, while in the feature game at 6 p.m., Harbour View take on Dunbeholden.
Harbour View managed a rare win, their second in 12 matches, when they defeated Treasure Beach on Sunday.
However, the 2021-22 JPL champions’ two wins have been against the two debutants, Lime Hall being the other.
As a result, it will be interesting to see how the Ludlow Bernard-coached team fare against a Dunbeholden team whose form has improved immensely in the second half of the first round.
Shaquile Bradford has been the bright spark for the Stars of the East. His fine goalscoring form has produced six goals in the league.
However, the 20 goals Harbour View have conceded is the fifth worst in the competition with only Lime Hall, Treasure Beach, Molynes and Montego Bay United having conceded more.
Bernard is well aware and is hoping to resolve this imbalance.
“We have to sort out these issues. We have been on the front foot where scoring goals is concerned and we just have to strike a balance.
“But the ammunition is there to go on a run and we just have to start somewhere,” he stated.
Dunbeholden’s rise up the table has been steady. After failing to win in their first four games of the season, the Lenworth Hyde-coached team have picked up four wins in their last five, a record only smeared by the in-form Cavalier.
Although the team relies heavily on Nicholas Nelson to score goals, they have shown some defensive competence, conceding just 13 times. They will fancy themselves getting three points against a limping Harbour View.
Dunbeholden are sixth on 21 points, while Harbour View are 11th with 12.
Meanwhile, Cavalier can jump to second in the table if they beat Humble Lion by four goals.
Cavalier are now fourth in the standings on 24 points, the same as third-place Tivoli and fifth-place Arnett.
A win would put them level with Portmore United on 27, and one behind leaders Mount Pleasant on 28.
Their opponents, Humble Lion, have been struggling for points all season, but more so since the club parted ways with veteran coach Andrew Price a few weeks ago, with four defeats in the last five games.
They have now slipped to 10th with 14 points, and if they do not start winning soon, they could find themselves in a real relegation scrap.