WRAY AND Nephew National Premier League title aspirants Village United saw their poor form at Jarrett Park continue on Sunday as they were beaten by then relegation-positioned team Seba United 4-3 in a game played at blistering pace.
That loss kept the Trelawny-based team in fourth position on 24 points, 15 behind leaders Harbour View.
The victory breathed new life into Seba's campaign to survive the drop. Seba, up to 13 points, inched above their Montego Bay rivals Wadadah who fell to Waterhouse and slipped into 11th place in the 12-team league with 12 points.
Seba struck quickly with goals in the second and eighth minutes by Wilfred Smith and Kemar James. Village responded through Teofore Bennett in the ninth minute but the veteran Norman Foster restored their two-goal advantage in the 18th minute.
In the 24th minute Smith added a second to put his team 4-1 up but 11 minutes later the competition's leading scorer, Fabian Dawkins, closed the gap once more to two goals. Dawkins added his second in the 61st minute.
"Basically, we started off well flat, meaning that we were here not to play based on what I saw. Players probably thought they could win the game without playing. Seba came out running in the first 10, 15 minutes and they got two quick goals on us and by the time we realised, we were well behind trying to play catch up," was how a disappointed Village United assistant coach Cassman Williams summed up the game.
OVERJOYED
Seba's Heron Grey, sitting in for coach Paul 'Tegat' Davis, out on 'medical break', was overjoyed with the victory. It was Grey's first win since assuming the position this round and the team's third.
"Oh my God man! I am feeling good," said Grey, bursting with pride and happiness.
"I am happy, I am feeling good," he repeated before explaining that his team played to instructions "something which we have not really done all season".
The hunger displayed and the number of goals scored by his team were surprises he declared.
"I was expecting more goals. I told a reporter in Kingston that I dare a team to come to Montego Bay and beat us at Jarrett Park and I am still saying the same thing," he said boldly after the match and indicated that his team's rise will continue.
But while Seba were on the bounce, Village were not only reflecting on the loss of the game but almost certainly any chance of winning the title.
"To be honest it has put us back by far. This was one of the games that we needed to win, we needed to have taken three points. It set us back because Harbour View are way ahead, Portmore are ahead of us and Waterhouse are on top of us. Maybe the best we can hope for now is second but it is tight."
- N.W.
