Head coach Theodore Whitmore has hailed his coaching staff after Mt Pleasant FA achieved a record 11th straight win in the Jamaica Premier League, edging Tivoli Gardens 1-0 in their second-round game played at the Anthony Spaulding Complex on Sunday.
Mt Pleasant FA broke the record of 10 straight wins set by Arnett Gardens in the 2015-16 season when Tivoli Gardens’ coach Jerome Waite was in charge of the Arnett Gardens team.
In his post-game interview, Whitmore, who guided Mt Pleasant FA to the last two finals, said it was a team effort. “I must congratulate the technical staff, the players, and management because we could not have done it without a collective effort,” he said. That means we are going in the right direction regarding where we want to go as a club.”
Sue-Lae McCalla scored the winner in the 38th minute, his third goal of the campaign, as Mt Pleasant FA won their 15th game from 20 starts to extend their lead in the points tables. They improved to 49 points, eight more than second-placed Montego Bay United. Arnett Gardens was third with 39 points, followed by Portmore United at 34 points. Cavalier and Waterhouse rounded out the top six with 33 points.
Montego Bay United and Portmore United played out a 0-0 draw at Ferdie Neita Park, the second time the teams ended goalless this season.
Tivoli Gardens lost back-to-back games and slipped six points back of the play-off spots.
Arnett Gardens rallied from two goals down to earn a 2-2 draw against defending champions Cavalier FC as both teams extended their winless runs to three games each.
Cavalier, who were beaten 3-0 by Mt Pleasant FA in their previous game, got off to a fast start and led 2-0 with goals from Justin Dunn in the first minute and Jalmaro Calvin, who took over the lead in the Golden Boot race when he scored his 11th in the 34th minute.
Warner Brown pulled a goal back for Arnett Gardens when he converted a penalty in time added at the end of the first half before Joel Jones tied up the scores in the 67th minute.
Both promoted teams, Racing United and Chapelton Maroons, won impressively over Vere United and Waterhouse FC, respectively, as both teams inched up to mid-table safety in eighth and ninth places.
Racing United won back-to-back games for the first time. After blanking Tivoli Gardens 2-0 last week, they beat Vere United 3-0. Goals from Nickyle Ellis, who gave them the lead in the 28th minute when he cheekily chipped goalkeeper Mikhail Harrison, Javaughn Cole in the 42nd minute, and Tyrone Mullings in the 87th minute after coming into the game as a substitute in the 79th minute, were also scored.
Chapelton Maroons snapped a five-game winless run by stunning sixth-placed Waterhouse 3-0 at Drewsland Mini Stadium.
Daniel Watson scored in the 10th minute, Ray Campbell added a second four minutes later before Leaunghn Williams added a third in the 62nd minute.
Molynes United avenged their first-round 1-0 loss to Humble Lion by winning their second-round game 2-1 on Monday at Drewsland Mini Stadium. They moved two places up to ninth on the points tables.
An 88th-minute goal from Rushawn Livingston broke the tie, and Molynes United ended a three-game run without a win.
An own goal in the 34th minute, a defender turning the ball past his own goalkeeper from a corner, gave Molynes United the lead, but Humble Lion got back on level terms in the 78th minute when substitute Dr James Thomas scored from a right-sided cross.
Harbour View climbed out of the relegation zone when they won for the first time since November 3rd, a span of 11 games, beating Dunbeholden United 4-1 and swapping places with them.
Both teams are on 16 points, but Harbour View has the better goal difference.
Harbour View’s four goals matched their total output from the previous 11 games, Javid George gave them the lead in the 17th minute, Trayvone Reid made it 2-0 in the 37th minute and Colorado Murray added a third in the 45th minute.
Timar Lewis scored a fourth in the 45th minute before Chevoy Watkin scored a consolation goal for Dunbeholden in the 57th minute.
