Ryon Jones, Staff Reporter

Sporting Central Academy halted their slide towards the relegation zone yesterday after demolishing an embarrassingly poor Cavalier team 4-0, in the outfit's 27th-round Red Stripe Premier League meeting at the Edward Seaga Complex.

Goals by Jamoly Powell (first), own goal (25th) and Cory Hylton (37th and 63rd) earned Sporting Central their first victory in five matches.

The win moved Sporting Central up one place to ninth on 32 points by virtue of a superior goal difference over Humble Lion. Despite now having gone six games without a win, Cavalier remains seventh in the 12-team table on 35 points.

Sporting Central's coach, Lenworth Hyde, was delighted with his team's display, which saw them climb seven points clear of the drop zone.

"We lost three games on the trot, so we needed to win this game and the intensity that the team showed indicated that they knew this also," Hyde told The Gleaner. "It wasn't hard for me to motivate the players to come out and play and they were organised. They did everything well and we kept a clean sheet also."

This was the Clarendon-based team's first clean sheet in nine games, with them having conceded 10 goals in their previous three outings.

"We just have to work hard and try to get some more victories like this, so that we can please the spectators," Hyde said.

Cavalier, who have gone winless in their last six games and have also failed to score, appeared lethargic from the opening whistle. Andre Forbes was indecisive in his area, resulting in him being dispossessed by Sporting Central's Hylton. Hylton then fired the ball across the face of the goal and Powell was able to beat his marker and side-foot home from close range.

Cavalier's problems were compounded in the 25th minute when Anthony Stitschell made a rash attempt to clear a free kick and only succeeded in kicking into his own net.

Another defensive lapse saw Sporting Central increase their lead eight minutes before the half-time interval, after Hylton's shot was mishandled by Cavalier's goalkeeper, David Mitcher, who was deputising for the injured Gariece McPherson.

Their defence once again went to sleep in the 63rd minute, allowing Hylton too much time and space in the box, and he took full advantage by effortless slotting pass the helpless Mitcher in goal.

Cavalier was not able to conjure up a clear scoring opportunity, as Sporting Central's Kadian Wynter was as cool as the evening breeze in the middle of the field.

"It is the one of the poorest performances by Cavalier since the season started," said Cavalier coach David Laylor. "I really believe the defence started off poorly. They just came out sleeping and they really made some simple mistakes. The game was just terrible today."

ryon.jones@gleanerjm.com

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