Nodley Wright, Staff ReporterA CLASH BETWEEN the most consistent team of the competition, Hazard, and the form side of the second round, Tivoli, at Ferdie Neita Park will highlight today's National Premier League round.
End of second round final winners Harbour View and finalists at the end of the first round Constant Spring also have an interesting match on at Harbour View. While Constant Spring are yet to win a match in the third round, Harbour View are yet to lose. Neither team can afford a slip now as they aim to stay in the top four.
Not to be outdone in terms of importance is the game between defending champions and end of first round final winners Arnett Gardens and the already relegated Duhaney Park at the Tony Spaulding Sports Complex. Arnett are yet to win a match in this round having lost to Reno and drawing with Hazard.
Normally, Duhaney Park would be seen as three points for their opponents but they did surprise Constant Spring in their first game of this round while Arnett have been struggling to find their feet.
At Ferdie Neita Park, this game should be one for the purists. Based on the makeup of both teams it should feature everything: exciting attackers and good goalscorers, midfield battlers, dribblers and passers and tough defenders and two of the better goalkeepers in the competition.
Creating distance between themselves and the teams below them will be the objective of Hazard coach Lenworth Hyde.
"We are going to try and put daylight between ourselves and the second and third-placed teams," stated Hyde whose team has been passed at the tape in the race for both end of round finals.
"We have to take this match seriously. It is going to be tough because Tivoli has a very good attacking force so we have to be very disciplined while marking these players. Our attack is also well disciplined and I think we can score some goals come Sunday.
"We've to try and score some more goals, the one-love thing can't work," continued Hyde pointing to perhaps his team's area of least strength. Though Hazard have the most national representatives at the senior and age group level in their ranks not many out and out goalscorers are among them.
They should be ruing the fact that they let the competition's second leading scorer Dwayne Richards depart from their ranks.
His rich form is only bettered by strike partner Christopher Nicholas.
After stumbling in the end of second round final, Tivoli Gardens fought off Village 3-1 at Railway Oval before losing to Wadadah which derailed the plans of coach Dave Clarke to get among the pacesetters early.
"The only conclusion I can come to is that maybe it is not our time yet to be in the top four. At this stage of the competition with five teams going for four spots I think the pressure is on the top four teams. Whenever we get there we have no intention of being pegged back and the pressure will be on."
