Former champions Harbour View stretched their lead atop the 2009/2010 Digicel Premier League to four points after a Kavin Bryan strike propelled them to a 1-0 victory over a pesky Sporting Central Academy at the Harbour View mini stadium on Sunday.

Opening the first game in the penultimate third round of the 12-team competition, Harbour View increased their points tally to 45, four ahead of defending champions Tivoli Gardens, who started the round in third place.

They are followed by Waterhouse on 40, Boys’ Town, 38, St Georges, 37, Sporting Central Academy, 28, August Town, 25, Rivoli United, 23, the same as Portmore United, who continue their free fall, followed by Arnett Gardens on 22, as are Humble Lions, and Village United at the back with 20 points.

After being forced on the defensive in the early going, Harbour View hit hard on the stroke of half time when midfield ace Jermaine Hue powered through on goal only to have his shot blocked, and the followed up effort cleared for a corner.

From Hue’s resulting right side free kick, Bryan soared high at the back post to direct a header down into the corner of the goal.

Harbour View’s coach Donovan Hayles was pleased with the result, if not the way in which it was achieved.

“I think the first 30 minutes went to Sporting Central. They came hard at us, they were spirited, but I anticipated that… they are a young bunch with not too much pressure on them to win the League,” explained Hayles at game’s end.

“But we showed our maturity and came back in the game and got a goal, I believed to be against the run of play because we were just getting back into the game and that goal gave us a bit of cushion and we were able to control the second half,” added Hayles, a former national goalkeeper.

“Still, I wasn’t 100 per cent pleased with the performance because we gave up possession too easily and at the back we made some mistakes which luckily for us didn’t cost us.”

Harbour View were scoring only their fifth victory at home in 23 matches this season, and though Hayles would prefer to get more than one goal per game, for now he is far more satisfied with three points.

His opposite number Nigel Stewart was left bemoaning his team’s inability to convert chances.

“In football if you don’t score your chances and the other team scores you are going to lose and we got our chances, we played well, but we couldn’t score, so hence we lost the game,” was his philosophical view.

“We started out well but in the latter part of the first half we started to give the ball away… I was disappointed with that.

“In the second half we knew we had to score and they tried, but they are youngsters and they were anxious and as a result we made a lot of turnovers. We didn’t keep the ball well, we gave it away easily to Harbour View and then we backed off them.”

Teams: Harbour View — Dwayne Miller, Montrose Phinn, Dicoy Williams, Lovel Palmer, Kimarlee Brissett, Richard Edwards, Andre Steele (Romario Campbell 70th), John Ross Edwards (Christopher Harvey 80th), Jermaine Hue, Andre Fagan, Kavin Bryan (Kamar Petrekin 87th).

Booked: Palmer (42nd).

Subs not used: Michaud Barrett, Fabian Campbell, Jomo Gordon, Clifton Waugh.

Sporting Central Academy — Andre Blake, Akeem Annakie, Dale Watson (Gregory Lewis 60th), Keithy Simpson, Camal Reid, Jamoly Powell, Christopher Bonner, Marlon Allen, Damarley Samuels (Karl Wiggan 69th), LeVaughn Williams, Alanzo Adlam (Francois Swaby 46th).

Booked: Simpson (58th), Lewis (90th+).

Subs not used: Jacomeno Barrett, Jermaine Christian, Jerry Alves, Oneke Ford.

Referee: Karl Tyrell

Assistant Referees: Ricardo Morgan, Keble Williams

Fourth Official: Wilverglen Lamey

Match Commissary: Richard Nathan