Mount Pleasant rout Humble Lion for slim JPL lead
Published:Tuesday | December 10, 2024 | 12:10 AMLivingston Scott/Gleaner Writer
MOUNT PLEASANT Football Academy are edging the ding-dong battle at the top of the Wray & Nephew Jamaica Premier League (JPL), enjoying the most tenuous of leads even after routing Humble Lion FC at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex last night.
Daniel Green fired Mount Pleasant into the lead after 36 minutes and Kimoni Bailey’s league leading eighth goal of the season put them 2-0 up at the half.
Then two goals from late substitute Nicholas Nelson in the 84th and 86th sealed the win.
Humble Lion got what turned out to be a consolation in the 50th through Afiba Chambers.
The result pushed Mount Pleasant to the head of the pack on 28 points, with Arnett Gardens nipping at their heals on 27 after they beat Harbour View 2-1.
Warner Brown scored an 18th-minute penalty to give Arnett the lead over The Stars of the East under new head coach Donald Stewart. While the second came from the boots of talisman Kimani Arbouine in the 57th minute.
Oquaassa Chong scored a 69th-minute penalty for Harbour View.
Stewart was leading Harbour View for the second time this season. His first game in charge was a 1-1 daw against Vere United.
Waterhouse and Montego Bay United are next in the standings with 22 and 24 points respecitively.
Speaking of Harbour View, they are on 12 points, just two ahead of Humble Lion who are the targets of Molynes United and Chapelton Maroons, the teams in the relegation zone on 10 and nine repectively.
Although disappointed with how they conceded, Mount Pleasant coach Theodore Whitmore was left beaming about his team’s performance.
“I am very pleased with the performance. I think the only disappointing factor was how we conceded the goal. We know this (set-play) was the only way this Humble Lion team could score on us. And we warned the players about complacency and conceding early. But overall it was a good performance, “ he commented.
Mount Pleasant were all over their opponents in the first half-hour, with Raheem Edwards signalling their intentions from early with a rasping volley from the edge of the box.
However, the bulk of the chances fell to captain Green, who wasted two good headers and fired one over from 12 yards.
Nevertheless, the Mount Pleasant captain would give his team the lead when he redirected Gadail Irving’s cross from close range.
The attacker had another chance moments later, but his ferocious effort was blocked.
The St Ann team added a second before the break when Bailey nodded home a free kick at the back post.
Humble Lion cut the deficit in half, six minutes into the second half, when Chambers rose to head home from a corner. The goal gave Humble Lion energy as they pushed for the equaliser.
All their hopes were however dashed when Nelson broke away and fired a left-footed shot past Peter Harrison in goal six minutes from the end. Nelson would add a second and a fourth for Mount Pleasant with a minute remaining with a similar goal, this time from the right side.
“The first half for 29 minutes it was back and forth tactically. So it was going good until we conceded the first goal,” said Humble Lion assistant coach Rudolph Stennett.
“We did our best today. the better team won on the day. But the second half we showed more fight and more tenacity and this is how we want to play right through games and I think we will have more success.”