Battles for positions litter JPL

THE BATTLE for the top two, top six, and the fight against relegation in the Jamaica Premier League (JPL) continue in earnest this afternoon, with another interesting round of matches.

Leaders Mount Pleasant (68 points) return to action after missing the last two match days. They go up against a Tivoli team (45 points) looking to hold on to sixth place in the table. The teams play at Drax Hall, starting 3:30 p.m.

At Catherine Hall, hosts and third-place Montego Bay United (64 points) will try to reclaim second place in the standings when they take on fourth-place Portmore (53 points). Arnett currently hold second on 65 points.

Meanwhile, in the fight against relegation, second-from-bottom Molynes, who slipped into the relegation zone after their defeat to Arnett on Monday, take on a Humble Lion team, who emerged from the relegation zone for the first time since the first round.

The team will meet at the Waterhouse Stadium, starting at 3:30 p.m.

After losing to Arnett, Molynes coach Jermaine Thomas said they have to improve how they start games, but believes they are creating enough chances to get better results out of their games.

“It is something we have to definitely look at (slow start), and see what is going on because it is becoming a trend. And once it becomes a trend it should be concerning. So we are going to be looking because there is a problem that we obviously have to fix,” he said.

He thinks the team is doing enough to get results but striker Peter McGregor has been out of form, and the bulk of the chances have been falling to him.

Nevertheless, he is confident they can turn things around.

“As a coach it gets a little concerning when you see your talisman or persons that you are looking to deliver the goals, missing those easy ones.

“We need the points. We need to be scoring. So there is definitely some work to be done. Whether it is psychological or to tweak one or two things tactically to get some results. But we need more points and it is going to be difficult because we are playing teams that are looking to go into the top two, teams that are gunning for a top-six spot, and teams that are fighting relegation. So there is no comfort zone. So it comes down to the mentality of the boys.

“But I have the confidence in them. The mere fact that we are creating opportunities, as no team has been able to stop us from creating opportunities on them. So once we fix the goalscoring area, we should make things a little bit easier for us.”

Molynes have taken just two points in their last five matches to be on 28 points, the same as Humble Lion, who have taken 13 points from their last eight matches, and Thomas expects his opponents to be riding high on confidence.

“It will be a tough one. It will come down to the team that makes the least number of mistakes on the day. Both teams need the points. So we will have to tap into their mental and wake them up again,” he said.

“They (Humble Lion) have been playing good. They drew at home with Montego Bay (last match) and their confidence must be going through the roof. But it comes down to what we do on the day. Once we make use of our chances, I don’t think we can be outclassed or outmatched.”

Meanwhile, Harbour View, who are 11th but sit on 28 points like Humble Lion and Molynes, will be aiming to avoid falling further into relegation trouble when they travel to Dunbeholden Sports Complex. Dunbeholden with 33 points are ninth in the table.

At Ferdi Neita Park, eighth-place Racing (41 points) will look to get their top-six aspirations back on track against Vere, who sit last on 23 points.

livingston.scott@gleanerjm.com

TODAY’S GAMES

Mount Pleasant vs Tivoli at Drax Hall (3:30 p.m.)

Molynes vs Humble Lion at Drewsland (3:30 p.m.)

Racing vs Vere at Ferdi Neita Park (3:30 p.m.)

Dunbeholden vs Harbour View at Dunbeholden Sports Complex (3:30 p.m.)

MoBay vs Portmore at Catherine Hall Sports Complex (6 p.m.)