- RICARDO MAKYN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Rivoli United's Garfield Reid (left) prepares to kick the ball while Harbour View's Jomo Gordon sets himself up for the challenge during their replayed Wray and Nephew National Premier League match at Harbour View Mini Stadium yesterday. Both players scored in the game that ended 1-1.
Howard Walker, Staff Reporter
EARLY SEASON favoutites Harbour View FC, squeezed out a 2-1 win over Rivoli United in their replayed Wray and Nephew National Premier League game at Harbour View Mini Stadium yesterday.
Jomo Gordon (ninth minute) and Clifton Waugh (63rd) scored for Harbour View. Garfield Reid (56th) scored for Rivoli.
Harbour View, warming up for their CONCACAF Club Championship clashes with the United States' DC United on March 9 (away) and 16, turned in a lacklustre performance and coach Donovan Hayles was not a happy man.
"I am not happy with our performance," he said shaking his head from side to side. "We didn't play well at all. A lot of players are totally off colour.
"The game is so funny. We play well and don't win yet we played badly today and won," said Hayles about his team's indifferent form in recent times.
Although Harbour View have been struggling of late, Hayles thinks the big occasion against DC United with teenage prodigy Freddy Adu will ignite his team to lift their game.
"As Jamaicans, we seem to do the impossible things. We might look ordinary here but come to that international game on a quality surface and the motivation is up.
"We have the capacity to really play well and give a good account of ourselves and I think we are going to do so."
Coach Harold Thomas of Rivoli was visibly disappointed.
He said: "I am disappointed with the result. We got chances and the penalty was dubious at best."P>The Caribbean club champions jumped four places in the second-round standings to seventh on nine points, the same as Rivoli.
They are 13 points behind the red-hot runaway leaders Portmore United (22).
More importantly, Harbour View have clawed their way back into contention in the overall standings on 38 points, trailing leaders Portmore on 42, Waterhouse, 39 and are level with defending champions Tivoli.
Meanwhile, Rivoli remain in mid-table on 22, well clear of the cellar teams .
The game started with Harbour View fielding most of their national players except Luton Shelton, the top marksman in the just-concluded Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Digicel Caribbean Cup, who was left on the bench.
Rivoli, through Garfield Reid, Derrick Planter and Omar Gordon (the brother of Jomo Gordon), were on the attack early but it was the home team that took the lead in the ninth minute.
Robert Scarlett worked his way down the left flank and picked out Jomo Gordon, who side-footed home from close range.
THE PENALTY AREA
Rivoli found the equaliser in the 56th minute when national player Garfield Reid found space at the edge of the penalty area and rifled home past a diving Leighton Murray in goal.
But parity lasted only seven minutes as Rivoli's goalkeeper, Moshell Nelson, failed to gather a cross and when the ball fell nicely for Jomo Gordon, he pulled him down.
