Portmore cruise past August Town
published:
Thursday | November 29, 2007
Kwesi Mugisa, Staff Reporter
August Town's Nicholas Smith (background) attempts to win a header over Portmore United's Ricardo Cousins in their Cash Plus Premier League game at Ferdie Neita Park yesterday. Portmore won 3-1. - Peta-Gaye Clachar/Staff Photographer
PORTMORE UNITED cruised to the top of the Cash Plus Premier League (CPPL) with a 3-1 win over struggling August Town at the Ferdie Neita Sports Complex yesterday.
Beginning the day two points behind leaders Tivoli Gardens, the win saw the St. Catherine team move to 17 points and sole league leadership. In a slow- paced and somewhat lacklustre affair, Bryan Bayliss' well-struck free kick 25 yards from goal, put the home team in front in the seventh minute.
Zeicko Herrera brought the teams back on level terms in the 19th minute, leaping high to head past Portmore custodian Shaun Sawyers from a cross. However, the home team would see their lead restored in the 33rd minute when central defender Anthony Modeste stepped up to roll the ball past August Town 'keeper Devon Haughton from the spot.
Tight spot
Striker Michael Spence could have brought August Town on level terms soon after the resumption, but his six-yard effort, one-on-one with Sawyers, was pushed wide of goal. The visitors found themselves in an even tighter spot when Herrera was given his marching orders in the 58th minute for a rash challenge in the centre of the park.
The towering Newton Ster-ling, who seems to be struggling to find his footing at new club Portmore United, saw his 66th-minute header shave the top of the crossbar.
However, the luck ran out for tiring 10-man August Town when they were caught flat on a counter-attacking play which saw Ricardo Cousins break away down the right flank before putting the ball across the area and into the path of Wolry Wolfe. Wolfe didn't get the cleanest touch to his attempt but still restored his team's two-goal lead in the 75th minute.
Chances
In a flurry of late chances, Sterling should have added another goal for Portmore but, finding himself 10 yards from goal, he attempted to lob Haughton but the shot was easily gobbled up by the custodian. August Town's Daniel Shaw and Aphas Bernard also found themselves through on Sawyers but found the 'keeper with both their attempts.
"We are creating the opportunities but we are just not finishing. We had at least a few chances but, as you can see, we only managed to put away one," said Calvert Fitzgerald, coach of August Town.
Motivation
"I've been trying to motivate them since Sunday. I thought we played well but we were a bit flat in defence as well," he said.
Despite winning the game, Portmore coach Linval Dixon believes his team lacked the killer instinct.
"We had so many chances to capitalise on them being 10 men down, we let them back into the game but we were two goals up," Dixon said.
"A win is a win though and this takes us to the top of the league, so it's a very positive result for us," he said.
