Four chase 'final' berth

Nodley Wright, Freelance Writer

THE CASH Plus Premier League (CPPL) first round will come to a close today with four teams in with a real chance of joining already-qualified Portmore United in the end-of-first-round final.

Former leaders Seba United have lost three of their past four matches, but still have the best chance of the four to make it through. They play away today to the promoted Sporting Central at Brancourt in Clarendon.

Delroy Ellis and Wilfred Smith added spark when they entered the field against Portmore in midweek and they will again be counted on along with Ricardo Geddes, Keniel Moodie and Daniel Ricketts if he is fit enough.

While they have been competitive in the league for the most part, Sporting Central have fallen away in the latter part of the first round and a win for Seba United would not be unexpected.

In Oneke Ford, they have a bustling goalscorer, with the record (four) for most goals in a CPPL game this season. Additionally, goalkeeper Leighton Murray is proven at this level, as well as Winston Griffiths. They could play a significant role if an upset is to be on the cards.

'Now or never' game

Seba's managing director, Orville Powell, sees this game as perhaps their most important of the season.

"It is now or never. We would want to believe that it is the final to get into the end-of-round final and the players will have to show the character required," said the man who also serves as president of the St. James Football Association.

For Powell, the result would also be a measure of how far the club has advanced in its quest to get back to the top of the country's football ladder.

"This is really a test to find out if we have really turned the corner in terms of where we want to be and we will see," he said.

Ready to take any advantage of a further slip up by Seba are Tivoli Gardens who like their opponents St. Georges and Harbour View are on 15 points. Tivoli should be given the slight edge just in case there is a slip up if only because of home advantage.

Have a good chance

St. Georges have had good results mainly at home, but have also managed draws in their opening game of the season to the defending champions Harbour View away from home, 1-1 with current leaders Portmore United away, 1-1 with Waterhouse away and interestingly slammed Boys' Town 3-0 last week, at a time when Boys' Town had a very real chance of getting into the end-of-round final.

With that being the case, Tivoli will not take the emerging stars of the east lightly. A loss for Seba United and draw for St, Georges would see the promoted team from Portland becoming Portmore's opponents on December 16.

Harbour View, who lost 2-1 at one end of Collie Smith Drive on Wednesday take another trek there today but at the other end. Today, they take on Arnett Gardens, a team with which they have had tough battles over the years and one from which they can expect no favours.

What will make Arnett Gardens an even tougher opposition is their record for the season. Like leaders Portmore United, they have fewer losses - one. Where they have let themselves down is in their failure to convert their league-leading seven draws into wins. While their number of draws suggest that they are unable to outscore opponents, it also suggests that they are difficult to break down.

On that note, Harbour View could really suffer from the absence of the speedy forward and last season's real find, Kavin Bryan, due to another suspension. If Harbour View are to put themselves in the frame, they will need Fabian Taylor to click.

Arnett Gardens too have an improbable but not impossible chance of getting to the end-of-round final. A loss for Seba United, a draw between Tivoli Gardens and St. Georges plus a handsome win for them over Harbour View (by four clear goals) would see them earn that spot.

"If the end-of-round final comes, it comes," was the posture coach Lenworth Hyde ahead of today's game. "The points are more important at this stage as we have lost three games already and cannot afford to lose any more. We have to stay as close as possible to the leaders to have a better chance of winning the league."

At the other side of Collie Smith Drive, Boys' Town will be aiming to use their match against Village United to work their way back up the table and get themselves in a position to relaunch their challenge for the title in the second round.

With four points and sitting at the bottom of the table Village United will need something credible from this game to convince themselves at least that they are not relegation bound. A good result for them could also make them more attractive to transfers with the opening of the transfer window in the new year.

Hope for favourable results

Last Sunday, Waterhouse marked the return of coach Wayne Fairclough with a win - albeit against a weak Village United.

This week, a second win would go someway in showing that it was not a fluke and that new day has indeed dawned.

Like Arnett Gardens, they would have to do what they have not done all season - score heavily, and hope for very favourable results to stand a chance of getting into the end-of-round final. Again, it is not impossible, but hardly likely.

Last week, Reno claimed the significant scalp of Seba United and could this week go for their second in a row when they host Portmore United at STETHS, a place where they enjoyed a fantastic run in the second round last season.

Portmore are not expected to be complacent because of their place in the final because, as assistant coach Christopher Bender outlined earlier in the week, getting to and taking the end-of-round final are important but the league title is the real thing.

Still, an upset could still be on the cards as Reno are in a similar position to Arnett Gardens and Waterhouse. The long-term league title means a lot to them also and another win could get them in the frame of mind for a second-round run.

3:00 p.m. - Arnett Gardens vs Harbour View at Anthony Spaulding Complex

3:00 p.m. - Reno vs Portmore United at STETHS

3:00 p.m. - Sporting Central Academy vs Seba United at Brancourt

4:00 p.m. - Waterhouse vs August Town at Drewsland

3:00 p.m. - Boys' Town vs Village United at Collie Smith

5:00 pm. - Tivoli Gardens vs St. Georges at Edward Seaga Complex

Standings P W D LGF GA GD Pts Portmore Utd 10 6 3 1 13 5 8 21
Seba Utd 10 5 1 4 18 15 3 16
St. Georges 10 4 3 3 13 9 4 15
Harbour View 10 4 3 3 13 11 2 15
Tivoli Gardens 10 4 3 3 10 11 -1 15
Arnett Gardens 10 2 7 1 6 5 1 13
Waterhouse 10 3 4 3 13 13 0 13
Reno 10 3 4 3 10 10 0 13
Boys' Town 10 3 4 3 10 11 -1 13
Sporting Central 10 2 5 3 11 14 -3 11
August Town 10 2 3 5 9 13 -4 9
Village Utd 10 0 4 6 8 17 -9 4