By Audley Boyd, Staff Reporter 
Waterhouse's forward Roberto Fletcher (centre) runs at Tivoli Gardens' sweeper and captain, Stewart Clarke (left), while another Tivoli Gardens player, Victor Thompson looks on during their Craven 'A' National Premier League feature match at Constant Spring yesterday. Waterhouse won 1-0. - Winston Sill
WITH much help from opponents Tivoli Gardens, Waterhouse achieved a major part of their National Premier League first round objective while scoring a 1-0 win in their sixth round feature game at Constant Spring yesterday.
Alberto Fray scored the game-winner at the 42nd minute, the clearest distinction of a first half in which honours were shared.
"We set an objective at the beginning of the season that we should win our home games. We have four home games, that means 12 points. Starting this game we had four. I told the guys there's no need to panic, we have four games to get eight points and we just got three," said Christopher Ziadie, coach of Waterhouse which moved to seven points.
Prior to the game, Waterhouse were second from bottom and Tivoli seventh on six points in the 10-team league.
"The team in front of us was Tivoli Gardens. We said that if we beat Tivoli, we'd move from ninth place, at least above Tivoli, getting off the bottom of the relegation zone. So mission two was accomplished," said Ziadie.
He added: "The third mission is we're playing Village United on Wednesday. They too are ahead of us so if we beat Village on Wednesday we'll move ahead of them and we're gradually moving up that ladder in pursuit of the 12 points."
Ziadie took over this team at the start of this season and having previously lost three games with an adopted 4-3-3 formation, he changed and it paid dividends.
"This was my formation today. We were playing an attacking formation before, it was Mr. Maxwell's (former coach Jeffrey) formation, he isn't here and he would know how to make the adjustments. I admit I can't do it. So I said let me do a system that I understand. We started with 3-5-2. The 3-4-3 wasn't producing the goals and it was conceding a lot of goals. So I said let me secure my midfield and my defense first, we operate from there with two forwards and see what comes. We got one goal today," said Ziadie.
The goal itself was really gifted to Fray by full back Alton Williams, who had possession with back to goal and defender Marco McDonald and goalkeeper Edsel Scott facing play as ready support for a pass. Williams opted to turn to the touchline, went down and appealed for a foul.
His plea to referee Raymond Pyne went unanswered and Fray blasted a shot which flew into the goal before Scott or McDonald could react.
There was no serious threat on goal for the additional three minutes before half-time.
On the resumption though, Tivoli Gardens reduced Waterhouse to rare counter-attacks as they mounted serious pressure and made chances at regular intervals that they just could not finish.
"The only good thing about the game is that we got the chances. The unfortunate thing is we didn't score the goals," said Tivoli Gardens' coach Dave Clarke.
Their next game will be at homely Railway Oval against Reno at midweek and Clarke said they will be under pressure to perform.
"It's not comforting that we're playing at home. The spectators will be a little impatient. But it simply means we'll just have to work a little harder and learn to score goals all over again," he said.
At least four different players got opportunities at close range and under no pressure from any defender to score past Waterhouse's goalie, Loxley Reid, to whom much credit is due.
The very big 'keeper made some outstanding saves off not only the one-on-one finishes, but good kicks from inside and well outside the penalty box by Dwayne Richards, Orville Campbell and Steve Green in either half.
Waterhouse made some very good chances of their own as well, even in the second half when they were strongly pressured. Kevin Lamey and Damion Williams were mainly responsible for those opportunities that came out of a counter-attacking system that their team is exceptional at. However, their shots from inside the penalty box never threatened to increase the score as they flew way off target.
RESULTS
Waterhouse 1 Tivoli 0
Duhaney Park 0 C. Spring 1
