Ainsley Walters, Gleaner Writer
ARNETT GARDENS and Village United on Wednesday night did little to improve their positions in the Digicel Premier League standings, playing to a 1-1 draw at the Tony Spaulding Sports Complex.
Leon Irving blasted Arnett into the lead against his former team, rifling a close-range shot into the roof of the net from the right side of the six-yard box in the 57th minute.
However, former national player Shane Crawford combined well with Ian McAnuff to volley home a 61th-minute corner at the near post.
The stalemate kept both teams in the lower half of the table with one game left to decide who will join Harbour View in the first-round bonus final after the leaders clobbered Waterhouse 3-0 at Drewsland to qualify with a game in hand.
Village moved to 12 points, joining Waterhouse and Reno, but remained eighth on goals scored, whereas Arnett moved a point up to 11, staying ninth in the table, two ahead of 10th-place Sporting Central.
Least number of goals
Arnett, the team with the least number of goals, five in nine games, had only themselves to blame for not snatching a home win as Irving and Roy Forbes, especially, failed to put away numerous chances.
As early as the third minute, Irving should have sent Arnett ahead but was skilfully robbed from behind by sweeper Phillip Hall as he raced towards the penalty spot, tumbling and appealing for a penalty.
Village, who played a defensive 5-3-2 formation, got two half-chances after 12 minutes but Omar Allen sent his first shot wide and afterwards swung and missed a ball from six yards off a header across goal by Fabian Dawkins.
Arnett's Michael Dixon got his chance to open the scoring six minutes before half-time but his shot to goal around goalie Kemar Llewellyn, who had rushed off his line, did not have enough power from 12 yards and was cleared by Nigel Ellis.
Village could have caused Arnett more grief in the second minute of first-half stoppage time after Crawford sent him clear on the right side of the box. However, the usually reliable striker lost his cool and skied his effort from 10 yards.
Arnett finally led when Irving capitalised on a defensive error but it did not take long for Crawford to skilfully volley past Julian McLeish after his powerful 61st-minute free kick was punched out by the Arnett keeper.
Three chances
Arnett's Forbes failed to put away no fewer than three chances in seven minutes, sending a bicycle kick wide in the 67th, shooting wide of the post in the 72nd and saw his weak, close-range snap shot held on the line by Llewellyn in the 79th.
Player-coach Fabian Davis said it was not the striker's day.
"Game after game, we keep creating numerous chances. Forbes was a bit unlucky today. We had a much better second half but we just have to get the ball in the back of the net. We just have to keep working at it in training," he said.
Village's manager, Glen Lawrence, said he was grateful for a point on the road against "a strong Arnett team".
"It was a good point. Arnett came strong but we played five at the back and held them," Lawrence said.
However, he thought his team deserved a penalty at the death after a shot seemingly hit an Arnett's defender hand in the box.
"We should have had that penalty but the referee was not strong enough to make the call. However, a point on the road is good after consecutive losses," he said.
