Hot-tempered RSPL match ends in draw

WESTERN BUREAU:

A brutal tackle and two red cards interrupted what was, up until then, a very good Red Stripe Premier League match between hosts Reno and Harbour View, which ended in a 0-0 stalemate at the Frome Sports Complex yesterday.

Brothers Evan Taylor (Harbour View) and Dennis Taylor (Reno) held back no punches literally, as the two went at it, after the Harbour View player laid out Reno defender Romario Smith with a elbow that sent Smith sprawling in the 73rd minute.

He was rushed to hospital. Preliminary assessment indicated he may have suffered a broken jaw bone.

Evan was subsequently issued a straight red card by referee Dwight Royal for his action.

Dennis challenged his brother personally as Evan walked off the field as he, too, was unhappy about the reckless tackle. A brawl ensued between them that soon involved another of the Taylor brothers and irate Reno fans.

SENT OFF

When calm was restored by the police and the match officials, Dennis was sent packing for his involvement.

That Reno failed to score was of their doing. They missed three easy opportunities in the first half, twice hitting the upright.

Afiba Chambers had them both. He was gifted a simple chance in the sixth minute, but his effort from an acute angle struck the upright.

Harbour View never troubled the Reno defence in the first half, but came into their own in the second.

But just as they were settling into a rhythm, they allowed Chambers to sneak into a goal-scoring position, but he again failed to score.

On the 66th-minute mark, Smith attempted an audacious effort, but Devon Haughton, in the Harbour View goal, blocked his shot.

Ronique Muir then fired a sizzling shot just over the top in the 72nd minute, as Harbour View pressed for forward.

A minute later, all hell broke loose, with Evan Taylor's crunching tackle.

"We deserved more than a point from this," said Reno assistant coach Courtney Hughes.

"We did enough to win, but once again, we are not finishing. Apart from that, it was a good game, in part, because that tackle from Evan Taylor soured the whole game," Hughes added.

Harbour View's coach Donald Stewart agreed that the bust-up was bad for the game, but gave his team credit for withstanding Reno's spirited performance.

"We started the game really slowly. I am not sure if that was because of the long journey down, but we began by allowing them too much time in our defensive third," he said.

Reno (17 points) remain just above Harbour View (16) in the 12-team standings.