Sporting Central's Carnell Learmond falls to the ground as he is challenged by Police National's Orville Smalling (No.15), while referee Wayne Stewart looks on during their Wray and Nephew National Premier League play-off game at the Edward Seaga Sports Complex yesterday. Sporting Central won 4-0. - Junior Dowie/Staff Photographer

LeVaughn Flynn, Staff Reporter

Sporting Central crushed a demotivated Police National 4-0 at the Edward Seaga Sports Complex yesterday in the Wray and Nephew National Premier League play-off, taking sole leadership of the competition as homesters St. George's drew 0-0 with St. James' Granville at Lynch Park in Portland.

With one round of matches to go and Sporting Central of Clarendon leading with 10 points and Granville and St. George's tied on eight, the two premiership qualifiers will be decided on Wednesday.

"It is now down to the wire," declared St. George's coach Donovan Duckie after his match. His team struggled to find the back of the net without top scorer Damion Harwood, who has scored all four of his team's goals, as he was out with a rib injury.

St. George's were also without regular starters Barrington James and Ricardo Taylordue to an accumulation of cards.

St. George's should be confident hosting bottom-of-the-table Police (one point) at Lynch Park on Wednesday in their deciding game.

Police put in a hapless showing against Sporting Central, racking up the biggest margin of defeat in the competition.

"Basically, we know we are out so there is nothing really we are playing for," said Police coach Calvin Lewis.

"We just wanted to have fun and see if we could score a goal, so you won't find us creating a lot of chances. We were just going through the paces."

Sporting got their goals through Karl Wiggan (sixth), Oneke Ford (66th), Romaine Barnes (87th) and Hughan Gray (89th).

Early lead

The nifty Wiggan put the Clarendon team in the lead early but that would be all the goalscoring action for the first half they easily could have been up 3-0.

Wiggan, after making a brilliant run past four defenders, kicked wide from inside the penalty box and Gray skied one from close.

Sporting Central would take advantage in the second half, however, when Police were reduced to 10 men in the 57th minute through the expulsion of Michael Cohen, who made a bone-crushing tackle on Wiggan, forcing the diminutive midfielder out of the game early.

Exploiting the numerical advantage and a low-spirited opponent, Ford pounded in the second off a well-supplied pass by Wiggan. Barnes and Gray would finish off the lawmen with little resistance.

Despite the big win, Sporting coach Kevin Williams recognised his team's weakness.

"Our performance was in patches," he said. "Sometimes we should have put away the team and we didn't, especially when leading 1-0."

However, Williams said he expects a much better game on Wednesday in the deciding match.

"We have a 100 per cent win record at home and we hope to maintain that."

Sporting Central 4

Karl Wiggan (sixth), Oneke Ford (66th), Romaine Barnes (87th) and Hughan Gray (89th).

Police 0