Kwesi Mugisa, Staff Reporter

Arnett Gardens' Horace Sharpe (right) fends off a challenge from Portmore United's Damion Williams in a Cash Plus Premier League match at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex yesterday. Sharpe netted early in the second half to put Arnett ahead, but Williams' strike two minutes later saw the game end in a 1-1 tie. - Ian Allen/Staff Photographer

Arnett Gardens continued to hold firm under reappointed coach Jerome Waite, securing their eighth point in four games, following a 1-1 draw with front-running Portmore United in the Cash Plus Premier League at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex yesterday.

The more confident-looking 'Junglists', only a few games ago finding themselves in the relegation zone, could have come away with all three points from the fixture.

After a scoreless first half, Horace Sharpe fired Arnett into the lead in the 55th minute. Sharpe reacted quickly at the back post to stab the ball into the goal after forward Shane Edwards' shot to goal had curled away from Portmore custodian Shawn Sawyers.

Spectacular effort

However, the sizeable crowd on hand, not charged to enter the grounds, hardly finished celebrating before a spectacular effort by Damian Williams levelled the score. Collecting the ball at the edge of the area, Williams eluded his defender then blasted the ball past an acrobatically extended Arnett keeper, Julian McLeish.

"The result is a positive one considering where the team is coming from. It's good to see the players putting out this type of effort," said Waite.

"Things are progressing well and I think we will continue to improve as the season goes on," he added.

Portmore coach Linval Dixon also credited his team for a solid performance. They lost skipper and central defender Anthony Modeste to a nasty head wound, suffered from a collision in the first half, and then Mario Sawby who was injured with 10 minutes left and all the substitutions used up.

"We had some setbacks, losing our captain we had to make adjustments and defended stoutly," Dixon said.

"We had to play with 10 in the end, it was a tough one. Congratutations to the guys and Arnett, they played well today," he added.

Arnett Gardens 1

Horace Sharpe 55th

Portmore 1

Damian Williams 57th