Kwesi Mugisa, Staff Reporter

In the end, the scale did not tip one way or the other as Wray and Nephew National Premier League juggernauts Waterhouse and Harbour View battled their way to a 2-2 draw at the Waterhouse Mini Stadium on Sunday night.

For Harbour View coach Lenworth Hyde, the draw went a long way in boosting his team's confidence, as they look to wrestle the crown away from the defending champions. Perhaps once and for all, it put to rest the ghost of the now infamous 13-point collapse, which saw the team surrender a title which certainly looked to be theirs last season.

"The point for us here today was a very important one. I won't dwell on the past on what happened last year, my focus is trying to win the league this season," said Hyde who saw his team, now on 20 points, maintain a one point lead over the title holders, who moved to 19.

"We came for all three points but the one is good enough, I think we played well but in the end the score was a good reflection of how the game went," he added.

Bold ambitions

The Stars of the East got off to a hot start as far as their bold ambitions of snatching all three points went. Front man Gregg Taylor rose high to head them into the lead in the 20th minute.

However a sensational strike from national representative Garfield Reid, who had a solid game, would see them level by the 42nd minute.

Reid, operating on the left flank, blasted to goal from some 35 yards out and the shot, perhaps aided by a slight deflection, gave a full-stretched Harbour View custodian Dwayne Miller no chance at all as it flew into the top left hand corner of the goal.

The home team found themselves out in front, when a brave Bryan Wollaston charged into the area to beat keeper Miller to the ball and scored a 68th-minute header.

Breaking free

Fabian Taylor failed to convert an easy 79th-minute attempt, when breaking free to goal, he chipped over an onrushing Waterhouse keeper Richard McCallum, but alarmingly failed to hit the target as the ball trickled wide of the post.

However, the striker would make amends as it was his brilliant 82nd-minute free kick from the edge of the 18 yard area, which dipped over the wall and curled away from McCallum to eventually give Harbour View a share of the points.

"We're a little disappointed to not get all three points but give credit to Harbour View, they stuck to the task and came away with a point," said Barrington Gaynor, coach of Waterhouse.

"We'll see them again, though, more than likely in the mid-season final and hopefully we'll be able to settle it there," he added.