LeVaughn Flynn, Staff Reporter

Harbour View's Keith Kelly (left) challenges Raymond Williamson of Meadhaven United for the ball during their Digicel Premier League match at the Constant Spring Oval yesterday. Harbour View won 2-1. - Norman Grindley /Acting Photography Editor

Lovel Palmer's winning goal for Harbour View yesterday against Meadhaven United at the Constant Spring Oval must have felt like target practice at a training session.

After all, the intended cross which resulted in an unexpected goal is something he's done numerous times before.

Only this time it was worth something - a 2-1 win to move his team to seven points in the Digicel Premier League.

With the game locked at 1-1 and the final minutes ticking away, Palmer, who gave his club a 25th minute lead from a header, swung in a right-sided cross which caught everyone, most of all goalkeeper Andrew Gibson, off guard.

"I've been scoring goals like that everyday in training - day in and day out - and today it paid off," said Palmer of his 83rd minute strike.

"Coach has said to us that most of the goalkeepers in Jamaica are timid and we must put the ball in the frame of the goal and I just followed instructions of putting the ball in the danger zone and whatever happened happened."

Palmer's goal served justice to the way Harbour View dominated most of the game.

With Jermaine Hue playing splendidly in midfield, goal-scoring opportunities were plentiful.

Gifted

Keith Kelly found himself gifted with the ball in the perimetre of the goal on several occasions but was tentative to strike.

Moments later Palmer would break the ice when Kavin Bryan picked him out perfectly in the area, for a header into the corner of the far post.

Meadhaven's midfielder Rohan Reid was everywhere in the match and was involved in almost every play going forward. His determination led to a goal as one of his shots hit the arm of a defender in the penalty box. Keammar Daley coolly converted the penalty in the 40th minute.

Midway the second half, both players later combined for what could have been a game-winning goal but Daley was a split second late in meeting Reid's cross.

Harbour View hit back with several runs of their own, one of which resulted in Palmer's startling goal.

It was the second consecutive game Meadhaven were conceding a late goal, following Wednesday's 90th minute gift to Sporting Central.

Coach Alrick Clarke believes his first-year team, which has two draws and a loss in its three games, needs better focus.

"It's a matter of concentration. We spoke about it so we just have to work at our mental aspect of the game," said Clarke.

Of the sparse goal-scoring chances his team created, Clarke added: "The midfield is not coming forward enough and supporting the strikers. They are sitting back idly and that's causing the problem, so we will just have to work on the offensive part of our game."

Harbour View coach, Waldemar de Oliveira, noted that his team should have had a higher success rate with their scoring chances, but was satisfied with their overall game.

"We got many chances to score, but we played nice in midfield and defence - they played very good game," said Oliveira, the Brazilian who joined the club's staff this season.