EFFORTVILLE, Clarendon — Premier League debutants Humble Lion FC stretched their unbeaten run in the third round of the Digicel Premier League to five games, as they climbed out of the relegation zone with a big 4-1 thumping of Rivoli United last evening at the Effortville Community Centre.

Omando McLeod with a brace in the 22nd and 68th minutes, Denzil Watson (62nd) and Zico Herrera in the 89th got the goals for Humble Lion who improved their season tally to 31.

In another game, Tivoli Gardens rallied from a goal down to beat Boys’ Town 4-1 at the Edward Seaga Complex.

Rivoli, obviously missing top marksman Devon Hodges, who is away on a two-week trial stint in the United States, pulled one back through Kemar Brown in the 30th minute.

Both teams traded ball possession in the first 15 minutes of the game, but it was the home side that looked more impressive, before McLeod rifled home the opener from a right-footed volley that sailed into the lower left-hand corner of Leon Goffe’s cage.

The goal seemed not to have bothered Rivoli, who were without their talismanic striker Hodges as they went for the equaliser immediately and were a bit unlucky not to have got it on minute 29 when Kirk Ramsey saw his goal-bound shot parried to the right by Shawn Sawyers.

A minute later, Rivoli were two times lucky, as Kemar Brown, who was left unmarked in the box popped up with the equaliser, stabbing home a rebounded effort from six yards after Sawyers again did well to parry a blistering grounder from Owen Barker. The half ended one apiece.

Desperate for a victory to climb out of the drop zone, Humble Lion came out in the second stanza and went on the offensive with Roberto Fletcher and Jeffery Baker controlling the entire right flank with some dangerous runs inside Rivoli’s box.

Their efforts paid off in the 57th minute when referee Karl Tyrell awarded them a penalty, but Fletcher who had a splendid game missed the 12-yard spot kick.

But, instead of hanging their heads, the Lions went into overdrive and grabbed the go-ahead goal five minutes later when Baker whipped in a telling cross from the right for Watson, who made contact with a sweet diving header past Goffe.

Urged on by their supporters, Humble Lion went for the kill and would eventually increase their cushion through McLeod, who blasted home in the 68th minute from a goal-mouth melee for his second of the afternoon and Herrera, who hit a right-footed screamer into the upper right-hand corner of the goal a minute before full-time.

— Oshane Tobias