Arnett hold MBU at Jarrett Park

Arnett Gardens staged a late comeback to earn a 1-1 draw against league leaders Montego Bay United (MBU) in their Jamaica Premier League encounter at Jarrett Park yesterday.

Despite conceding early in the match, Arnett secured a crucial point with a late penalty, denying MBU all three points.

The draw keeps MBU atop the standings with 51 points, while Arnett remain eighth on 31 points, level with Waterhouse. Cavalier moved to fifth with 33 points after a 1 -0 win over Racing United who are second with 45. Dunbeholden climbed to sixth on 32 points with a 1-0 win over Chapleton Maroons, who slipped to seventh as the race for playoff positions intensified.

In a competitive clash, MBU’s Brian Brown showed superb technique in the 20th minute when he met a driven cross with perfect control and broke the deadlock. The held that lead until the 85th minute when Arnett Gardens’ Ricardo Thomas found the equaliser from the penalty spot.

Garnett Lawrence, MBU’s assistant coach, praised Arnett’s resilience but noted that they had many opportunities to secure a win.

“Arnett are a good team, they never say die. However, we got a lot of chances to put away the game. It’s one of those days where you get the chances but were unable to put the ball in the back of the net,” said Lawrence.

“It is a point gained for us, although we needed three points. We have to give thanks as it was a tough game. We both played well, and I think this is what was deserved,” added Lawrence.

Meanwhile, Phillip Williams, coach of Arnett Gardens, said the team rallied well in the second half after they adjusted their strategy and made some changes.

“Montego Bay had the better of us in the first half. I think we played a bit too slow in the first half. In addition not all players were sticking to the game plan. At half-time we spoke about it and made two changes and this helped our game in a positive way,” said Williams.

“Kudos to the players. I think they gave us a good show in the second half and were fighting right to the last minute and we got the point,” added Williams.

Over in St. Elizabeth, Treasure Beach FC whipped Tivoli Gardens 4-2 at St. Elizabeth Technical High School.

Treasure Beach’s Roshaun Reynolds put his team ahead in the fourth minute before Tivoli Garden’s Joshua Dewar levelled in the 16th. Treasure Beach’s Raheem Porter then struck in the 26th and 33rd minutes to give his team a two-goal cushion.

Dewar gave Tivoli some hope with a goal the 54th minute but Treasure Beach’s Navardo Blair scored in added time to secure the win.