Tivoli snap Savannah winning streak

Paul Clarke, Gleaner Writer

Western Bureau:

Savannah Sports Club's unbeaten streak in the Red Stripe Premier League was snapped by an 87th-minute goal from Dane Kelly inside the Frome Sports Complex yesterday.

Another huge crowd turned out at the complex, in spite of driving rain, but were left disappointed when midfielder Kelly kicked the ball into the back of the net, to give his side only their second win of the campaign.

In the process, the previously unbeaten Savannah lost their perfect win record, which included victories over Harbour View, Cavalier and defending champions Portmore United, in their first match of the season.

But it could all have been a different ending to a hotly contested match when Savannah captain Andre Fagan missed the perfect opportunity to send his side to another fairytale win.

Fagan stepped up to take a penalty kick, awarded to Savannah when a defender was deemed to have committed an infringement inside the area. The poor kick was saved by the Tivoli goalkeeper in the 74th minute. The host team had a few more chances to go ahead, but Kelly's goal came against the run of play and stunned the home supporters.

Satisfied coach

A delighted Glendon 'Admiral' Bailey said, post-match, that he was happy with the team's performance, noting the change following a dour first half that saw Savannah making all the plays, especially in the early stages.

"It is a good victory. We came here with one objective, with one mission, to take all three points home with us and we did that, although Savannah played well in the first fifteen minutes of the game," said Bailey.

"In all, it was a gutsy performance today - our second win of the season, so am happy with it."

Meanwhile, defeated Savannah assistant coach Audley Thomas was forthright in his post-game comments.

"Well, you win some and then you lose some. We have nothing to be ashamed of. We played well but, unfortunately, we failed to score today."

"We will rebound and we are again thankful to our supporters," Thomas added.

Yesterday's Results

Today's Game

9 p.m. Arnett Gardens vs Boys' Town at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex