Barbican hold champs MBU

Western Bureau:

Bottom club Barbican FC held on for a point against Red Stripe Premier League champions Montego Bay United (MBU) yesterday at Westpow Park, to leave their coach Raymond Beckford pleased with the effort.

"We are still struggling to score, but I am very pleased with this result. We came to Montego Bay and while we failed to score, we kept a clean sheet," Beckford said.

"We are still looking for a top-six finish or at least stay in the league. So we are taking it one game at a time," he said.

The point lifts them to 15, while the league leaders move to 33 points, one in front of Arnett Gardens.

Montego Bay United had a depleted squad for this game with only 12 players available for the game.

Striker Dino Williams left the island for new club FK Haugesund in the Norwegian Premier League, while Omar Gordon and Jermaine Woozencroft are in the United States for their MLS Combine and Lesli St Fleur is away on vacation in his native Bahamas.

39th minute

It was a strange game to begin with, as nothing the champions threw at Barbican seemed to work.

But they should have scored from their first attack but the Barbican keeper was equal to the task.

Steve Green sent his downward header just wide of the target in the 39th minute, then two minutes later, Mario McDonald headed over, as the visitors looked to sneak a goal before the break.

second half

It was much the same in the second half with Alan Ottey hitting a fierce right-footer that scraped the upright and the game ended in a lacklustre 0-0 stalemate.

"We got a few chances to score but we never did. I had to use a defender up front because the squad is thin in that department at the moment," said Carlos Garcia, the MBU coach.

"We are hoping to get that right in this transfer window and hopefully start winning again," he said.