Nodley Wright, Freelance Writer
THE COMMUNITY of Portmore, which came to life for the annual one-night show Sting, will stay awake today the restart of the Wray and Nephew National Premier League, which took a short break for Christmas.
Apart from the popularity of the team Portmore United, the biggest reason for excitement today is the expected turnout of former national striker Onandi Lowe. With the opening of the transfer window today, Lowe, who was recently transferred from Arnett Gardens, could be registered in the morning and play in the afternoon against Constant Spring.
DEBUT SCORING
Lowe, never one far from controversy or excitement, has made it a habit of scoring on his club debuts. Nothing less should be expected if he takes to the field today.
Another game of interest will be the Arnett Gardens versus Wadadah fixture which is set to take place at the Tony Spaulding Sports Complex. After a series of poor results, Arnett Gardens appear to
be moving towards stability following a win over neighbours Boys' Town and a draw with Tivoli Gardens.
DEFENDING CHAMPIONS
It will be interesting to see how they perform today with the detention and questioning of three people associated with the club. Wadadah, on the other hand, claimed the prized scalp of defending champions and Caribbean champions Portmore United and must be fancying their chances against an Arnett Gardens team which could be in disarray.
Seba United have been having decent enough results of late and are most difficult to beat when playing at home. Tivoli Gardens will come up against a team intent on at least maintaining their position above the relegation zone. In the Tivoli Gardens line-up are quality players such as Christopher Nicholas, Kasai Hinds and Waheem Walker but the Seba team which they beat 4-0 in the first round is one of the past.
Wilfred Smith appears to be rediscovering the form which painted him as a lynchpin for Seba in qualifying for the Premier League. The veteran Norman Foster continues to give good service and they will provide leadership for the others. This game should be a close one.
ATTACKING TRIO
Stung by their inability to win away from home, Village United will be looking to the attacking trio of Teofore Bennett, the competition's leading scorer, Fabian Dawkins and Newton Sterling to fire them to a win. Boys' Town have branded themselves overachievers in the competition and a win for them would be consistent with that title. In captain Fitzroy Anglin, Marvin Morgan and Fabian Watkins, they have veteran players blending well with youngsters such as Garfield Rennicks and Collin Oldham.
Rivoli United are a club in trouble and that is set to continue against leaders Harbour View. Rivoli have shown that they have good quality footballers but they lack consistency.
Waterhouse have the best chance of joining Harbour View in the second end of round final but a loss to Reno could place them under pressure with three sets of matches to go.
Waterhouse appear to be faltering following a solid start to the second round. Their last two matches saw them struggling to draw with last-placed Constant Spring and eking out a 1-0 win over second to last Rivoli.
If they report in a similar form, Reno, always a difficult team to beat at home, could win.
TODAY'S GAMES
Reno vs Waterhouse at Frome 3:00 p.m.
Portmore United vs Constant Spring at Ferdie Neita Park 3:00 p.m.
Arnett Gardens vs Wadadah at Tony Spaulding Sports Complex 3:30 p.m.
Seba United vs Tivoli Gardens at Jarrett Park - 5:00 p.m.
Village United vs Boys' Town at Elleston Wakeland Centre 3:00 p.m.
Rivoli vs Harbour View at Prison Oval 3:00 p.m.
STANDINGS
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| Harbour View | 18 | 16 | 0 | 2 | 32 | 8 | 24 | 48 |
| Waterhouse | 18 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 28 | 17 | 11 | 35 |
| Tivoli | 18 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 31 | 20 | 11 | 28 |
| Portmore | 17 | 6 | 9 | 2 | 22 | 14 | 8 | 27 |
| Village | 18 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 29 | 22 | 7 | 27 |
| Arnett | 18 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 21 | 24 | -3 | 26 |
| Reno | 18 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 13 | 0 | 20 |
| Boys' Town | 17 | 4 | 8 | 5 | 16 | 17 | -1 | 20 |
| Seba | 18 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 20 | 31 | -11 | 16 |
| Wadadah | 18 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 28 | -14 | 16 |
| Rivoli | 18 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 13 | 32 | -19 | 13 |
| Constant Spring | 18 | 1 | 9 | 8 | 14 | 26 | -12 | 12 |
