( L - R ) Lovel Palmer, Daniel Shaw

PREVIOUS failings have served up a real inspiration for Harbour View, which seek to alter their record of never beating second-year team St Georges of Portland, in the top-rung Digicel Premier League battle at Harbour View Mini Stadium, starting at 7 p.m. today.

"We've never beaten them. It is a motivational factor for us, the players are bent on making a difference come Wednesday," Donovan Hayles, the Stars of the East's assistant coach, told The Gleaner ahead of the big contest, one of six in today's midweek league resumption following a two-week break for the Digicel Caribbean Cham-pionship, which Jamaica won 2-0 over Grenada in Sunday's final at the National Stadium.

Boasting a tie

The teams have met four times in the premier league with St Georges, based further east in Portland, boasting a tie and two wins - both by 2-0 margins home and away - in three match-ups last season; and their confrontation finished goalless at Lynch Park this season.

"Harbour View are riding high and they're a good team, but they've never beaten us so there's no fear factor," St Georges manager, Derrick Lewis, told The Gleaner yesterday. " We're going there to play good football and hopefully win."

The situation of having never conquered a fairly new outfit is a bit strange for Harbour View, champions of the Caribbean and current leaders of this run for championship. Additionally, Harbour View won the first end of round final, beating Tivoli Gardens 2-1 and Hayles, on the basis of their first round positives and backyard influence, believes that it's time to buck that trend.

"It's one of those things. In football terms you'd refer to them as a bogey team."

He added: "If we were to judge our performance in the first round and how we're playing now, we should be in a position to beat them at home."

No great deal

Actually, there isn't a great deal between Harbour View and Geoffrey Maxwell's team at the moment.

Harbour View, with a league-high eight wins and 18 goals, lead on 26 points, four more that their opponents who occupy third. Maxwell's team have won half their dozen encounters, but after a steady start with three consecutive draws, they have pressed their foot on the pedal to make winning a habit, taking the maximum nine points in three of their past four games, while they have remained unbeaten.

"We're seeking to consolidate our position," noted Lewis. "Every point in this round counts.

"Harbour View are four points in front and our aim going to Compound is to ensure that they remain within reach where we can pounce."

Lewis added: "We'd like to play the second end of round final and move on, we're going there to maximise points."

Former Harbour View midfielder, Daniel Shaw, has emerged a key figure for St Georges with five goals that have complemented vital wins. The team's captain and main striker, Damion Harwood, has not got going yet but remains dangerous.

Harbour View, on the other hand, have got their goals from a wider spread, with midfielder Lovel Palmer really coming to the fore with at least a third of their goals.

This speaks volumes for Harbour View, which have many players noted for scoring in Kavin Bryan, Jomo Gordon, Kemeel Wolfe and the classy Jermaine Hue.

However, while St Georges are venturing into the lion's den, as Lewis states, they hold no doubts about their abilities and with Harbour View fixed on setting the records straight, there's every indication of a very competitive affair in which a winner will not be easily decided.

Tricky test

In other matches, second place Tivoli face a tricky test against disciplined and youthful Reno, but are tipped to win nonetheless. Waterhouse, by their standards, are struggling and will hope to take another win off Rivoli. Both clubs have potent strikers - Waterhouse with twin dangers Kevin Lamey and Jermaine Anderson and Rivoli through the stocky Devon Hodges. Waterhouse are favoured.

Andrew Price's Boys' Town are playing really well and should strike down Village at home, but don't write off the Trelawny men just yet; Paul 'Tegat' Davis, who led their survival from relegation with seven wins in eight unbeaten matches last season, is back at the helm.

Sporting and Meadhaven should be action-packed and full of attacking play. Any team can win.

Arnett haven't scored more than one goal in any of their past 12 games and will have difficulty beating Portmore. Both are fairly well organised defensively, but the result in what's expected to be a keenly-fought battle, could be influenced greatly by pride, more than form.