By Nodley Wright, Staff Reporter 
Roen Nelson...scored double for Hazard. - File
HARBOUR VIEW'S powers of recovery failed them yesterday as they were beaten 3-0 by Hazard United at Ferdie Neita Park in the Wray and Nephew National Premier League.
Not even the introduction of super substitute Nicholas McCreath, eight minutes into the second half and the subsequent dismissal of Hazard midfielder Errol Wilkie could save them. At the end they were left shaking their heads as they felt they were outnumbered on the field as a number of crucial calls went against them.
Roen Nelson with a double in the 43rd and 87th minutes and a goal on his debut by Grenadian Anthony Modeste in the 84th did the job for Hazard United who were having their first game of the second round.
Based on the level of talent on display, the game was expected to be packed with excitement but this failed to materialise with any degree of consistency. Both teams enjoyed good possession but failed to inject much life into the game.
Apart from a hard low shot from distance by Kevin Deerr in the 12th minute which Leeroy Gray failed to hold onto, and a freekick from Hue which expertly turned over the bar in the 42nd minute by the sharp-looking Shawn Sawyers in goal, there was not much to cheer for in the first half.
This was before Nelson's opening goal sneaked upon the game. Against the run of play, and in a suspiciously offside-looking position, Nelson rammed home a through pass from Kevin Deerr who everyone was expecting to kick. Harbour View's pleas for offside were ignored.
Early into the second half, with the score still at 1-0, Harbour View had looked like a legitimate call for a penalty because of a handball in the area waved away. Harbour View did not allow their heads to drop and they dominated possession with a largely left-sided approach under the urging of Jermaine Hue.
That dominance in possession was not allowed to get into the final third as a tidy-looking Claude Davis marshalled the defensive line. Hazard were unlucky to have Wilkie ejected for a second bookable offence when Daniel Shaw appeared to jump out of a tackle with him.
Referee Hughill Thompson ruled that is was a cardable offence and he had to go. If there were frowns on the faces of the Hazard supporters, they would later turn to broad grins.
After a deflected shot from Nelson to the left of the goal looped over the head of Gray and was finished off by Modeste, Hazard had a gift for a third goal. The limping substitute Locksley Thomas with just Gray in goal to beat was being pursued by Harbour View captain Damion Stewart.
The burly defender tried his best not to make contact with the player and succeeded. Thomas tripped over the ball and fell. Inexplicably Thompson pointed to the penalty spot and there were wide grins by the Hazard supporters. Even Stewart managed a smile but it was not one shared by his team.
Nelson was not concerned with the sideshow. The only thing on his mind was his 10th goal of the season to add to last season's 14. He did.
"I did not think we were penetrative enough and did not make enough inroads into the Hazard defence," said Harbour View's coach Donovan Hayles at the end of the game.
Hazard he said "made more telling passes and deserved to win". Nonethelss the scoreline did not truly reflect the game as far as he was concerned. The final two goals, he said, came about because his team pressed forward in search of the equaliser and left themselves exposed at the back.
He would not comment on the refereeing.
Stand in coach for Hazard United Desmond Smith attributed his team's win to their usage of the two-week break they enjoyed. "We won this game on the two-week break that we had.
"We used that time to get ourselves prepared mentally, physically and tactically so what you saw today was just us implementing what we had done," he said.
He too would not comment much on the refereeing.
"The referee's decision is final. Whatever he says goes," a smiling Smith continued.
Yesterday's results
Hazard 3 Harbour View 0
Waterhouse 0 Village 0
Tivoli Gardens 5 Wadadah 0
Arnett 1 Reno 1
Bull Bay 1 Rivoli 1
