BOYS' TOWN and Arnett Gardens, Sunday's biggest movers in the Cash Plus Premier League, registering 2-0 and 4-0 victories respectively, face leaders Portmore United and third-place Waterhouse in blockbuster third round-games tomorrow afternoon.
Boys' Town and Portmore played to 0-0 draws in the first two rounds. However, Waterhouse hold bragging rights over Arnett after their 2-1 second round win was followed by a stinging 90th minute 1-0 victory over their sworn rivals in the Corporate Area Jackie Bell knockout semi-final.
To make matters worse, it was an Arnett defector, Leon Strickland, who knocked the wind out of his old team seconds before the final whistle at Harbour View.
Arnett Gardens coach, Jerome Waite, who has not lost a Premiership match since rescuing the Junglists from Max Straw after a 2-1 loss at then last-place Village, yesterday made it clear home advantage will be a big factor tomorrow, starting at 5:00 p.m.
"Waterhouse are a very good team but they will be in the Jungle and we're hoping to do what we did in our last game, score goals," said Waite, whose team took apart promoted Sporting Central on the road to jump from 10th to eighth in the standings.
Waterhouse rallied from behind to draw 1-1 with Portmore at home on Sunday to stay third on 37 points.
However, with Boys' Town breathing down their necks in fourth position on 35 points, the men from Drewsland badly need a win to get closer to second-place Tivoli on 43 and Portmore 44.
Strickland can expect a hostile reception from the Arnett fans, who don't take kindly to one of their own playing elsewhere. In addition, his stoppage time heroics at harbour View is still fresh in his former teammates' minds.
Waterhouse, similar to Arnett had their fortunes reversed by a returning championship coach, Wayne Fairclough, who has a mean midfield in a 3-2-4-1 formation but has been playing Russian roulette on the flanks, giving defensive midfielders the duty to break wide when out of possession.
Arnett flourish in a 4-3-3 attack with Onandi Lowe at centre forward and Horace Sharpe at left wing.
On target
Both were on target against Sporting Central in addition to Fabian Davis, whose free kicks bothered Waterhouse for the entire 90 minutes of their Jackie Bell semi-final.
It will be another match with end-to-end action, which Waite hopes will help push his team into the top six.
"We know we're out of position as far as catching the leaders are concerned," said the Arnett coach with back-to-back Premiership titles under his belt.
"Reaching the top six can give us a shot at the title but we're not even thinking about the title now," he added.
Meanwhile, Portmore coach Linval Dixon said he isn't taking Boys' Town lightly after goalless draws in the first two rounds.
"Boy's Town are tough customers. We played them twice, 0-0 draws. They have quality players and defend well. They never stop running. That's the nature of Boys' Town and we're not taking anything for granted.
"We're getting ourselves ready for this challenge," said Dixon, pointing out that a 7:00 p.m. start should have his team nicely freshened.
"It has made a big difference," he said referring to the newly installed lights at Ferdie Neita Park.
"The sun tends to drain us but when its cooler we don't stop running. That last game against Sporting Central was good," he pointed out, referring to the team's first home game under lights, which they won handily, putting away their rivals 3-1.
However, Boys' Town have been revived by striker George Vernal, who banged in a cracker against Seba before nodding in their second for a 2-0 win on Sunday.
In other games, second-place Tivoli, not the best road team in the league, travel to Montego Bay with 2-1 and 2-0 victories over seventh-place Seba, who will be plotting an ambush at Jarrett Park.
Tivoli beat August Town 2-0 on Sunday but Seba are dangerous at home and cannot be discounted.
Defending champions Harbour View, a point behind Boys' Town in fifth place, were extended by Reno in a 2-2 draw in St Elizabeth on Sunday but should get the nod over 11th place but improving Village at Compound.
Sixth-place St Georges should take out last-place August Town at the University of the West Indies and whereas ninth and 10th-place teams Sporting Central and Reno could go either way at Brancourt.
Games On
Sporting Central vs Reno at 3:30
August Town vs St. Georges at 3:30
Seba vs Tivoli Gardens at
Arnett Gardens vs Waterhouse at 5 p.m. Harbour View vs Village at 6:30
BOYS' TOWN and Arnett Gardens, Sunday's biggest movers in the Cash Plus Premier League, registering 2-0 and 4-0 victories respectively, face leaders Portmore United and third-place Waterhouse in blockbuster third round-games tomorrow afternoon.
Boys' Town and Portmore played to 0-0 draws in the first two rounds. However, Waterhouse hold bragging rights over Arnett after their 2-1 second round win was followed by a stinging 90th minute 1-0 victory over their sworn rivals in the Corporate Area Jackie Bell knockout semi-final.
To make matters worse, it was an Arnett defector, Leon Strickland, who knocked the wind out of his old team seconds before the final whistle at Harbour View.
Arnett Gardens coach, Jerome Waite, who has not lost a Premiership match since rescuing the Junglists from Max Straw after a 2-1 loss at then last-place Village, yesterday made it clear home advantage will be a big factor tomorrow, starting at 5:00 p.m.
"Waterhouse are a very good team but they will be in the Jungle and we're hoping to do what we did in our last game, score goals," said Waite, whose team took apart promoted Sporting Central on the road to jump from 10th to eighth in the standings.
Waterhouse rallied from behind to draw 1-1 with Portmore at home on Sunday to stay third on 37 points.
However, with Boys' Town breathing down their necks in fourth position on 35 points, the men from Drewsland badly need a win to get closer to second-place Tivoli on 43 and Portmore 44.
Strickland can expect a hostile reception from the Arnett fans, who don't take kindly to one of their own playing elsewhere. In addition, his stoppage time heroics at harbour View is still fresh in his former teammates' minds.
Waterhouse, similar to Arnett had their fortunes reversed by a returning championship coach, Wayne Fairclough, who has a mean midfield in a 3-2-4-1 formation but has been playing Russian roulette on the flanks, giving defensive midfielders the duty to break wide when out of possession.
Arnett flourish in a 4-3-3 attack with Onandi Lowe at centre forward and Horace Sharpe at left wing.
On target
Both were on target against Sporting Central in addition to Fabian Davis, whose free kicks bothered Waterhouse for the entire 90 minutes of their Jackie Bell semi-final.
It will be another match with end-to-end action, which Waite hopes will help push his team into the top six.
"We know we're out of position as far as catching the leaders are concerned," said the Arnett coach with back-to-back Premiership titles under his belt.
"Reaching the top six can give us a shot at the title but we're not even thinking about the title now," he added.
Meanwhile, Portmore coach Linval Dixon said he isn't taking Boys' Town lightly after goalless draws in the first two rounds.
"Boy's Town are tough customers. We played them twice, 0-0 draws. They have quality players and defend well. They never stop running. That's the nature of Boys' Town and we're not taking anything for granted.
"We're getting ourselves ready for this challenge," said Dixon, pointing out that a 7:00 p.m. start should have his team nicely freshened.
"It has made a big difference," he said referring to the newly installed lights at Ferdie Neita Park.
"The sun tends to drain us but when its cooler we don't stop running. That last game against Sporting Central was good," he pointed out, referring to the team's first home game under lights, which they won handily, putting away their rivals 3-1.
However, Boys' Town have been revived by striker George Vernal, who banged in a cracker against Seba before nodding in their second for a 2-0 win on Sunday.
In other games, second-place Tivoli, not the best road team in the league, travel to Montego Bay with 2-1 and 2-0 victories over seventh-place Seba, who will be plotting an ambush at Jarrett Park.
Tivoli beat August Town 2-0 on Sunday but Seba are dangerous at home and cannot be discounted.
Defending champions Harbour View, a point behind Boys' Town in fifth place, were extended by Reno in a 2-2 draw in St Elizabeth on Sunday but should get the nod over 11th place but improving Village at Compound.
Sixth-place St Georges should take out last-place August Town at the University of the West Indies and whereas ninth and 10th-place teams Sporting Central and Reno could go either way at Brancourt.
Games On
Sporting Central vs Reno at 3:30
August Town vs St. Georges at 3:30
Seba vs Tivoli Gardens at
Arnett Gardens vs Waterhouse at 5 p.m. Harbour View vs Village at 6:30