Harbour View's Jermaine Hue (centre) fights to retain possesion while caught between Tivoli players Navion Boyd (right) and Owen Gordon (left) in the Digicel Premier League (DPL) end of round final at the National Stadium yesterday. Harbour View won the match 2-1. - Ricardo Makyn

CLASSY first-half goals by Jermaine Hue and striker Kavin Bryan last night handed leaders Harbour View a 2-1 first-round final win over Tivoli Gardens and the first silverware of the 2008-2009 Digicel Premier League season.

Hue's sixth-minute free kick, taken 20 yards out, dipped over Tivoli's wall and beat goalie Leon Gordon diving to his left. Bryan made it 2-0 in the 37th minute with a diving back-post header off left-back Lance Laing's powerful square.

Tivoli got their consolation goal in the 86th minute when a weak clearance was headed straight to the feet of substitute Jermaine Thompson at goalmouth.

However, both teams were reduced to 10 men a minute later, forwards Roland Dean and Rafeik Thomas were ejected, as Premier League leaders Harbour View staved off Tivoli's late spurts to take home the $250,000 cash prize from the bonus final.

Tivoli pocketed $150,000 for their efforts, which coach Max Straw admitted, were undone by two well-executed goals.

"We wanted to win the end-of-round final to keep the community happy, it was not to be," he conceded.

"We got our chances and should have taken them. However, the job was done before tonight. We are second in the standings and our aim is to win the Premier League."

Tivoli are on 12 points in the Premiership, two behind Harbour View, after unseating second-place Boys' Town 2-1 last Sunday to advance to the bonus final.

Harbour View's assistant coach, Donovan Hayles, said last night's victory has given his team more confidence ahead of the second round as it was Harbour View's second win over Tivoli this season.

"It's a taste of victory and it is important we retain that taste for the rest of the season," he said.

He said he was not surprised that Tivoli got chances to make the match closer but pointed out that his team defended well.

Hue's opening goal, one of the most predictable ever scored in a football match at the National Stadium, knocked the wind out of Tivoli for the first 20 minutes.

Dead-ball specialist

The dead-ball specialist converted from the same spot where he netted a similar free kick while in national training for Jamaica's World Cup qualifier against Honduras, running in diagonally from the right and curving the ball over the wall with a deadly swing, which gave a diving Gordon little chance at his near post.

Tivoli were so stunned that their first shot at Harbour View's goal came in the 13th minute, a soaring no-hoper, which went miles high over the crossbar.

However, they started to come into their own after 20 minutes, especially down the left flank through speedy wide midfielder Orane Simpson, switching wings with Christopher Jackson.

Simpson set up Jackson on the left side in the 26th minute but he hit the side-netting instead.

Harbour View picked up two yellow cards in two minutes, Hue for dissent in the 32nd and Lennox Wright for a foul on Navion Boyd in the 30th, the free kick almost resulting in a goal as Jackson's effort from distance was spilled by goalie Dwayne Miller, forcing him to scramble and gather from onrushing midfielder Jerry Walters.

However, it was Harbour View, who got the goal heading to the break as Laing skipped Owen Gordon's challenge on the left flank and raced into the final third where he fired in a cross for Bryan to acrobatically head into goal.

Goalmouth shot

Tivoli started the second half strong and almost got a goal a minute after the whistle but Dean's goalmouth shot was blocked by Miller. Both teams then exchanged chances, Thomas turned quickly to fire a 60th-minute shot to goal, which Gordon did well to parry, and Jackson sliding in to boot a return pass from Dean wide of the back post.

Simpson tested Miller in the 80th, forcing the Harbour View goalie to punch out his shot from the left side of the box.

However, the Harbour View keeper could do nothing to stop Tivoli's consolation, a sitter from four yards, which substitute Jermaine Gordon could have shut his eyes and still scored.