Harbour View finding their feet
Published:Tuesday | February 22, 2022 | 12:10 AMRobert Bailey/Gleaner Writer
HARBOUR VIEW’S assistant coach Shaun Fraser says his team is now finding its feet and they are growing in confidence after a 2-0 victory over Portmore United in the Jamaica Premier League competition yesterday.
Striker Trayvone Reid, in the 45th minute, and midfielder, Oshane Staple, in the 85th, were goalscorers for the Ludlow Bernard-coached Harbour View at the UWI-JFF Captain Horace Burrell Centre of Excellence.
The victory was Harbour View’s second of the season from six matches with Fraser saying the team had to work hard at both ends of the field for it.
“I am very elated because we got a clean sheet and we have been working towards this all season,” said Fraser.
“We haven’t won a 2-0 game all season and so for us it is a blessing and I think we just have to build on this going forward,” he said.
The victory has moved Harbour View one spot up to sixth with eight points.
According to Fraser, this win is a step in the right direction for the team.
“This season we said that we want to go all the way and this is just a step in the right direction and we just have to continue working and just take it game by game and see how best we can do,” he said.
Reid, a former Kingston College Manning Cup standout, gave Harbour View the lead from the penalty spot on the stroke of half-time.
In fact, it was Reid who won the penalty for his team after he was brought down inside the 18-yard box by a Portmore United defender.
Harbour View’s celebrations had hardly died down as Demar Rose missed an easy opportunity to equalise for Portmore United a minute later, his powerful 20-yard free kick tipped on to the post by Harbour View’s custodian Amal Knight.
Portmore United created several scoring chances but were let down by poor finishing and wayward passing from their midfielders.
Things got worse for Portmore in the 70th minute, when goalkeeper Benjamin Williams had to be substituted following a head injury.
Harbour View then wrapped up the game with Staple scoring a beautiful 30-yard effort for his team.
Portmore United’s coach Lenworth ’Teacher’ Hyde blamed his team’s defeat on poor execution in front of goal.
“I think we played because we had possession and we created some chances but we are still not finishing,” said Hyde.
“We have a new team and we are building but I want to see some improvements in the players because this is our sixth game and we have lost three of them and that is not acceptable right now for us,” he said.
In the second match of the double-header, Dunbeholden defeated Tivoli Gardens 1-0. Substitute Atapharoy Bygrave netted the winning goal for Dunbeholden in the 75th minute.