FALMOUTH, Trelawny — Village United came from behind twice to earn a 2-2 draw with Arnett Gardens in their third round Digicel Premier League game played under windy conditions at the Elliston Wakeland centre on Sunday.

Kevin Wilson in the 14th minute and Newton Sterling in the 54th had given the KSAFA club the lead only to see Dino Williams and Troy Smith equalise in the 33rd and 70th minutes, respectively.

The draw means both teams maintained their respective seventh and ninth positions. Village inched to 37 points, two more than Arnett with two rounds of matches to go in the third round.

This was the third time this season that the teams had played to a draw after 0-0 and 1-1 draws in the previous rounds.

Both coaches, Village’s Cassman Williams and Arnett Gardens’ Wayne Fairclough, agree that the result was “fair” given the competitive nature of the game.

“They showed character to come back from an early goal, but got carried away in the second half,” lamented Williams.

Fairclough said his team “gave away too many chances”, allowing Village back in the game twice.

Arnett, who were making their seconds trip to the western end of the island in four days after beating Granville in a Flow Champions Cup quarter-final game on Thursday, got the lead after just 14 minutes when the veteran Wilson scored from the penalty spot after Derrick Henry brought down Ricardo Smith inside the area.

Henry, who got his third start of the season with Lance Laing away on trial, was also carded by referee Kevin Thomas.

Williams brought the teams level in the 33rd minute with a brilliant solo effort. Picking up a pass from the left defensive position, he beat two defenders, went to his left to get around the advancing Julian McLeish, then hit the ball with the outside of his right boot into the unprotected goal.

Sterling returned Arnett to the lead nine minutes into the resumption with his only positive contribution of the game, steering a glancing header from a Wilson pass, just wide of the left hand of Village goalkeeper Ryan Cooper.

Village should have equalised in the 62nd minute, but Williams and Delroy Ellis conspired to miss a wide-open goal.

Williams’ shot from in front of the goal was badly miscued but fell nicely to Ellis who was on the left of the six-yard box, but with the unprotected half of the goal at his mercy, he kicked wide.

The equaliser came less than 10 minutes later, when Smith scored his 10th goal of the season, converting from the penalty spot after Anthowe Dawkins handled the ball inside the area.

Teams:

Village United — Troy Smith, Orlando McBayne (Everette Mullings 80th), Cordel Simpson, Dino Williams, Andre Moore, Delroy Ellis (Allan Ottey 67th), Ryan Cooper, Fitzroy Campbell (Ronique Francis 88th), Jerome Eccleston, Oliver Trail, Derrick Henry.

Subs not used: L Richie, R Francis, M Gordon, K Llewellyn, R Scott

Booked: Henry (13th), Williams (28th)

Arnett Gardens — Julian McLeish, Anthowe Dawkins, Gerald Neil, Rasheed Clarke, Dennis McKinley, Newton Sterling (Nicholas Dodd 83rd), Cornel Chin-Sue (Lamar Nelson 59th), William Richards (Dwayne Plummer 78th), Kevin Wilson, Garfield Gillespie, Ricardo Smith.

Subs not used: D Hyatt, Jermaine Grey, K King, L Strickland

Booked: Clarke (28th), Dawkins (69th)

Referee: Kevin Thomas

Assistants: Anthony Garwood, Nicholas Anderson

Fourth Official: Gregory Daley

Match Commissary: Fitzroy Reid