Arnett Gardens' double goalscorer Kevin Wilson (left), tackles Tivoli Gardens goalscorer Steve Green during the NPL game between the teams at Up Park Camp yesterday. Kasai Hinds, right, watches the play. Arnett Gardens won 3-2. - Ian Allen/Staff Photographer DEFENDING CHAMPIONS Arnett Gardens opened up a five-point gap at the top of the Wray and Nephew National Premier League yesterday with a come-from-behind win over Tivoli Gardens at Up Park Camp.
It was their sixth successive triumph.
A double from striker Kevin Wilson, now the competition's leading scorer with seven goals, and a lone strike from birthday boy Denton Shedden did the trick for Arnett Gardens.
Steve Green and Christopher Nicholas found the back of the net for Tivoli Gardens.
In the only change on the points table, Arnett Gardens moved up to 22, five above Hazard and Harbour View. Tivoli remain in sixth position on goal difference above Reno with whom they have an outstanding fixture.
Yesterday's game was like a boxing match between top quality heavyweights with the stronger one on the day winning on points. In the early rounds Tivoli Gardens looked fresher and took the fight to Arnett Gardens who appeared to be wilting in the heat. Nicholas, Green, Orville Campbell and company ran at them.
Tivoli Gardens looked more organised, were quicker to the ball and deservingly took the
lead in the 26th minute. Big defender Shane Stevens took out Roland Dean in a challenge for which referee Hughill Thompson awarded a free kick just outside of the box to goalkeeper Julian McLeish's right.
Steve Green stepped up and stroked the ball into the back of the next as a befuddled McLeish went the wrong way.
Towards the end of the half, Arnett were gradually inching themselves back in through the efforts of Fabian Davis, Wilson, Shedden and Kwame Richardson. On the stroke of halftime they got the leveller through Wilson. Richardson crossed the ball from the left to Davis, who took it down with his chest and played it back across the goal for Wilson, who had the composure to collect and place the ball past the advancing Edsel Scott in goal for Tivoli Gardens.
Wilson's equaliser turned the tide as in the second half Arnett Gardens were full of running and Tivoli Gardens were struggling to keep up with the pace - especially of Richardson and Wilson.
A firm cross from the overlapping Gerald Neil was met with a lovely header by Shedden to mark his 33rd birthday in the 48th minute. Arnett Gardens could have been up 3-1 at this time as less than a minute earlier the trio of Wilson, Davis and Richardson combined but Davis' effort sailed high with Scott at his mercy.
Arnett Gardens continued to pile on the pressure with Scott doing his best to keep the game close as he saved shot from Davis and the steady Chin-Sue. Wilson scored his second and his team's third as he connected with a Shedden cross in the 69th minute.
The relaxation by Arnett Gardens and the introduction of Raymond Smith, Denroy Gordon and Dave Clarke seemed to re-energise Tivoli Gardens. They hit back from one of Snith's dribbles. After working his way from his own half, under pressure from Neil, to just outside the opposition's 18-yard box, Smith fed Clarke who in turn set up Nicholas. Nicholas fired home delightfully with the outside of his right boot.
"The players responded very well to the training despite the short time frame," said Arnett's coach Jerome Waite of his team's victory before adding that both teams played well.
"Tivoli came out with a purpose, scored from a dead ball. An excellent goal from Steve Green and Arnett Gardens just took charge from there," he continued.
A change in approach, Waite said, accounted for the turn the game took in the second half.
"I outlined to the players that they needed to step up their intensity and that they needed to get to the ball first and to stop giving them so much respect. You saw a different game in the second half," Waite said.
Tivoli Gardens' coach, Geoffrey Maxwell, blamed his team's loss on the refusal of his players to follow instructions.
However, he gave Arnett Gardens credit for their victory.
"I think Arnett Gardens deserved to win. They played well in the second half and it was only in the last 10 minutes, when Arnett were up 3-1, that they eased back which gave us the chance to get the momentum back," Maxwell said.
"The good thing is that we lost 3-2 and credit to Arnett and I have always said that coaches can only coach and give instructions but if they (the players) are not prepared to listen you are going to pay the price and we paid the price in the 45th minute (Arnett's equaliser). That was the turning point in the game."
STANDINGS
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | PTS |
| Arnett | 8 | 7 | 1 | - | 19 | 6 | 22 |
| Hazard | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 14 | 7 | 17 |
| H. View | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 7 | 17 |
| Village | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 11 | 6 | 13 |
| Rivoli | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 11 | 14 | 10 |
| Tivoli | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 9 |
| Reno | 7 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 9 |
| C. Spring | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| Seba | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 8 |
| W'house | 8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 13 | 14 | 6 |
| Bull Bay | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 13 | 5 |
| Wadadah | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 22 | 4 |
