Adrian Frater, News Editor
Reno's Ricardo Scott (right) fends off a tackle from Wadadah's Garfield Brown during yesterday's Wray and Nephew National Premier League match at Frome. Reno
won 1-0. - PHOTO BY ADRIAN FRATER
WESTERN BUREAU:
RENO NOTCHED three important points at the expense of a hapless Wadadah yesterday afternoon when a first-half strike by skipper Fabian Blake gave them a 1-0 win over the Montego Bay team in their Wray and Nephew National Premier League game at Frome in Westmoreland.
By virtue of the win, their fifth of the season, the Reno team, which is now being trained by Godfrey Stewart High School's daCosta Cup-winning coach Carl Palmer, remain in eighth place in the 12-team competition with 17 points. The struggling Wadadah remain trapped in the relegation zone in 11th place on 13 points.
"It was really not a difficult game for us, it was just unfortunate that we did not get more goals," said Palmer, who recently replaced Bradley Stewart as coach of the Westmoreland team. "I thought we played fairly well and it was good that the players responded so well to the Wadadah challenge."
The game started with Reno on the attack and putting pressure on the Wadadah defence. They created two good early scoring opportunities in the 12th and 13th minutes but both were wasted. First, Robert Haughton cracked a fierce close-range shot which shaved the crossbar and then skipper Blake nodded just wide after pouncing on a looping ball before the goal.
With Wadadah forced on defensive, Reno took the lead in the 15th minute when the lanky Blake pounced on a long-range clearance by goalkeeper Dwayne Kerr, dribbled between two defenders and the slotted calmly past goalkeeper Gavine Barrett, making the score 1-0.
Except for a good break in the 35th minute when Daniel Ricketts dribbled into the Reno goal area but was bundled off the ball before he could shoot, Wadadah launched very few attacks, and got their best chance of the half in the 72nd minute when Dwayne Jumpp worked his way down the right side and unleashed a powerful shot. However, he was denied by goalkeeper Kerr, who leapt high into the air and parried the ball over the crossbar.
With time ticking away, Reno all but doubled their lead in the 88th minute. The wily Ricardo Scott dribbled into the goal area but his toe-poke under pressure ran agonisingly close to the right upright as it rolled out of play.
GOALSHEET
Reno 1
Fabian Blake, 15th
Wadadah 0
