Mount Pleasant, Racing seek to pick up in JPL third round

Leaders Mount Pleasant FA and promoted Racing United will be hoping to pick up where they left off at the end of the second round when they start their third-round schedule in the Jamaica Premier League this afternoon.

Mount Pleasant boasts a good lead, sitting on 62 points, eight more than second-placed Arnett Gardens, while Racing are creeping slowly but surely out of the relegation scrap and will hope to secure their safety before long.

The third round made a belated start yesterday after Sunday’s set of games were postponed, as match officials “were not available” because of a pay dispute with Professional Football Jamaica, who then said on Tuesday that the issue was settled and football would resume.

Mount Pleasant will be seeking back-to-back wins over a struggling Waterhouse FC team they beat 3-0 in the second round after drawing their first round game 0-0.

The Theodore Whitmore-coached Mount Pleasant are leading in all major statistics and are unbeaten at home at Drax Hall, winning 12 of their 13 games, the only blemish being their 0-0 draw with Waterhouse FC.

They will have to do so without Jahshaun Anglin, who was sent off in the first half of their 1-1 draw with Montego Bay United (MBU) in their final game of the second round.

Seventh-placed Racing are unbeaten in their last eight games and three points out of the last play-off spot and will hope to have the better of ninth-placed Dunbeholden United, who are two points and two places behind them.

A win for either team today could be crucial to their battle to avoid relegation and pushes them closer to the top half of the table.

Racing won the first meeting between the two teams before playing out a 2-2 draw in the second round, but Dunbeholden United are going into the game on the back of three straight wins and are unbeaten in six games.

Arnett Gardens have lost just one of their last eight games and after just getting by Vere Phoenix United in their last outing take on Chapelton Maroons, who they have not beaten this season, drawing both games 1-1.

Chapelton are in some trouble, sitting in 13th place and in danger of a second relegation in three seasons if they don’t turn around their season soon. They have won once in their last 12 games and must turn their form around if they are to get even a point from Arnett.

Arnett were docked points from their draw against Portmore United on February 20 after using an ineligible player.

At the Montego Bay Sports Complex, home team MBU will hope to avenge their only home loss when they take on an improving Harbour View team.

Despite finishing the game with 10 players, Harbour View came from a goal down to beat MBU 2-1 for their first win of the season, but both teams have gone in opposite directions since. MBU have not been far from the top three, while Harbour View have climbed up the ladder to be in 10th position but only two points above the relegation zone.

MBU won their second-round game 1-0, as former Harbour View player Brian Brown scored in both games but has not been available for the last nine games after picking up an injury in a loss away to Arnett in mid-January.

If they can continue the form they showed in their 1-1 draw with Mount Pleasant in their last game, MBU should be able to give newly appointed Head Coach Paul Davis his first win after back-to-back draws since he replaced Rodolfo Zapata.

Tivoli Gardens will be desperate to get back within touching distance of the top six and will have last-placed Humble Lion at Effortville today, a game they have to win if they are to start moving back up the table.

Tivoli have only won once in their last eight games but will hope they can recapture the form that saw them beat Humble Lion 5-1 in their second round meeting.

Thursday’s games:

Mount Pleasant vs Waterhouse FC — Drax Hall Sports Complex | 3:30 pm

Humble Lion FC vs Tivoli Gardens FC — Effortville Community Centre 3:30 pm

MBU vs Harbour View FC — Montego Bay Sports Complex | 6:00 pm

Racing FC vs Dunbeholden FC — Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex | 4:30 pm

Chapelton Maroons FC vs Arnett Gardens FC — Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex | 7:00 pm