Dwight Nelson, Gleaner Writer

Sporting Central Academy came from behind to edge Arnett Gardens 2-1, in an exciting and keenly contested fourth- round encounter, in the Digicel Premier League at Brancourt yesterday.

Victory lifted the Clarendon team to seven points from four matches, while Arnett remain pointless at the bottom of the standings after suffering their fourth loss in as many matches.

The game started at a very high intensity as both teams exhibited workmanlike football and made several advances in each other's goal area.

Arnett Gardens took the lead in only the ninth minute through a Horace Sharpe goal. Following a defensive error, Sharpe dribbled into the box before firing a cracker past Sporting's custodian, Erron Brown.

Displaying quality

Both teams continued to display quality, attacking football up to the break, as the score was unchanged.

Sporting Central were more threatening after the break as several combinations from Alanzo Adlam and substitute Karl Wiggan penetrated the Junglists goal area.

Hughan Grey levelled the score in the 51st minute after Sporting received a free kick for an infringement in the middle of the field. Captain Jevaughn Watson caught the Arnett Team gazing and made a through pass down the middle, finding Grey who knocked the ball past Arnett custodian Julian McLeish.

Sporting continued with the momentum and took the lead in the 56th minute through a Linval Lewis goal. He received a ball on the edge of Arnett's 18-yard box, then fired a cracker past McLeish.

Arnett, however, managed to put some very excellent passes together in the last quarter of the game through substitutes Cornel Chin Sue, Kevin Wilson and Kwame Richardson and could have pulled things level in the 89th minute, but Richardson's powerhouse shot from the edge of Sporting Central's 18-yard box hit the right upright and deflected back into play.

Keeping our record intact

"We wanted this win because we lost our last game which I think we should have got at least a point from," said Chris Dawes, Sporting Central's coach.

He added: "We want to keep our home record intact and this is a good way to start."

Arnett coach, Jerome Waite, said: "The team played in spurts and as a result of that it cost the team.

"When you create chances and you don't put them away, it will cost you because we got a clear-cut chance towards the end of the game which would've drawn the scores level, leaving us with a point."