Nodley Wright, Freelance Writer

A FOOTBALL treat should be in store for lovers of the game as leaders Harbour View and second-placed Waterhouse meet in a top-of-the-table clash in the Wray and Nephew National Premier League at Waterhouse Mini-Stadium.

The teams have been trading the lead over the past two weeks and are just separated by a point. Harbour View have the distinction of statistically being the most attacking team. They, along with Arnett Gardens, have scored 17 goals, the most in the competition.

Waterhouse, on the other hand, have conceded the fewest goals (four) and are yet to lose a match in the competition.

With that being the situation, both coaches are expecting a tough clash.

"We expect a tough fight from Waterhouse. A game against them is always tough and we expect nothing different for this one," said Harbour View coach Lenworth Hyde Sr.

Waterhouse's Barrington Gaynor is of the view that the game will be a competitive one as "both teams are on top of their game and spectators should enjoy this clash".

Despite the fact that they will be playing away from home, Hyde is expecting a positive result from the game.

"The attitude in the camp has been very positive and we are going down there with that. They have been training well and we are going down there expecting a positive result," he said.

With the free-scoring Kavan Bryan, Lovel Palmer, Lenworth Hyde Jr. and the fit again Fabian Taylor in his line-up, Hyde has reason to back his team, but Waterhouse, the meanest team in the league will just be missing Irvino English. They will have Roger Rodney, Craig White, Garfield Reid, Desmond Breakenridge and Marco McDonald to choose from defensively.

Offensively Waterhouse are no slouches either, as Bryan Wollaston, Roberto Fletcher and Weston Forrest have been finding the back of the net this season. If they fail there is always the proven

veteran Kevin Lamey to call on. With that in the back of his mind, coach Gaynor has more than enough reason to be confident.

"The mood in the camp is very upbeat. All the players are looking forward to this game. We all went to the river after training on Friday and we had a grand time," said Gaynor.

At the Edward Seaga Stadium, Tivoli Gardens, despite their inconsistent form, should have the better of Village United. Village have a decent crop of players even without Fabian Dawkins and Shane Crawford but without the requisite commitment they will not do much. They managed to upset Harbour View at home in one of their only two victories, both of which came on the road but Tivoli Gardens are in no position to take anyone lightly. A Tivoli line-up including a refocussed Roland Dean, Fabian Davis, Kasai Hinds, Christopher Jackson and Kasai Hinds should just be a bit too much for them.

Glendon 'Admiral' Bailey seems to have managed to fashion the Arnett Gardens team into the fighting unit that he wants and it is very difficult to see an August Town team with all their commitment and ability of attacker Jermaine Richards getting the better of Arnett Gardens - especially at the Tony Spaulding Sports Complex. August Town will come up against an Arnett Gardens attack featuring the top scorer in the league, Leon Strickland and the veteran Kevin Wilson. Strickland should be buoyed by his first invitation to the national squad and would want to score even more goals to show that he is ready for national action.

Seba's position of 10th is not a measure of how badly they have played in the competition but how poorly they have performed in front of goal. In Wilfred Smith they have a forward who creates a lot of opportunities but he needs a finisher beside him. If Seba can pull one out of the hat for today's game they may be able to stop a confident Reno team.

Kendrie Quarrie has been pulling the strings from midfield with Fabian Blake, Kirk Wright, Gary McIntosh and Ricardo Scott offering good support. With Dwayne Kerr back in goal they should be much better, especially after that morale-boosting draw with then leaders Waterhouse.

Boys' Town should have the edge playing Wadadah at their home but with Daniel Ricketts, Jermaine Anderson and Rohan Reid in action, Wadadah have enough quality to upset. With Portmore ending Boys' Town's unbeaten record at home, Wadadah could be more optimistic of getting a positive result there.

TODAY'S GAMES

Boys' Town vs Wadadah at Collie Smith Drive - 3:00 p.m.

Tivoli Gardens vs Village United at Edward Seaga Stadium - 3:30 p.m.

Arnett Gardens vs August Town at Tony Spaulding Sports Complex - 5:00 p.m.

Seba United vs Reno FC at Jarrett Park - 6:00 p.m.

Waterhouse vs Harbour View at Waterhouse Mini-Stadium - 6:00 p.m.