Harbour View Football Club maintained their one-point lead at the top of the Digicel Premier League as they overwhelmed visitors Village United 3-0 in Sunday’s late kick-off at the mini-stadium.

Jahmali Spence and Marcelino Blackburn scored in the first half, while Kavin Bryan blasted in a third early in the second period to round out the scoring.

The win pushed the home team to 67 points, while second-placed Tivoli Gardens are on 66. Village remain at the bottom of the Elite Six on 41 points.

Harbour View coach Donovan Hayles said the aim is to win all the remaining matches to secure the 2009-2010 title and added that he wanted more clinical finishing from his attackers.

“We have to continue working hard to ensure we win our last five games of the season. We have been doing a lot of work in front of goal and we would love to put away more of our chances, but I’m happy with three (goals),” he said.

The home team led from early as the 17th minute when Spence latched on to a well-weighted through pass from Blackburn to slide a shot beneath the onrushing ‘keeper. The second came in the 34th minute when Blackburn tucked away a penalty after Jermaine Hue was brought down in the box. Bryan fired in a third in the 53rd minute from an acute angle after a neat exchange of passes with Kimarlee Brissett on the left-side of the 18-yard box.

Despite being happy with the margin of victory, Hayles expressed concern that his defenders may have been lax at stages in the second half.

“We lost the whole defensive discipline and even at times our centre halves ended up in unfamiliar positions and that is what we (the coaching staff) will chastise them about. (However), I know that perhaps in a much closer game they would not have allowed it,” Hayles said.

Village’s assistant coach Norman Foster said his team defended poorly and ultimately the ‘Stars of the East’ deserved to win.

“Harbour View were the team who wanted to win this game as my team didn’t play up to standard and at the end of the day the better team won. We lost the game with poor tracking of the opposing players and (a lack of) man-marking in the box,” he said.

Foster added that an improved performance in the second half could have resulted in his team pulling back a couple of goals against the leaders.

“Close to the end of the game we got a couple chances but we didn’t put them away. We just have to go back to the drawing board and get back into the right frame of mind to go out there and play our best,” he said.

TEAMS: Harbour View — Michaud Barrett, Kevin Wooley, Montrose Phinn, Dicoy Williams, Kimarlee Brissett, Fabian Campbell, Marcelino Blackburn (Andre Steele 72nd), John Ross Edwards (Romario Campbell 74th), Jermaine Hue, Jahmali Spence (Andre Fagan 69th), Kavin Bryan.

Subs not used: Carlloyd Walters, Clifton Waugh, Nicholas Beckett, Rafeik Thomas

Village United — Kemar Llewllyn, Troy Smith, Cordel Simpson, Andre Moore, Jerome Eccleston, Derrick Henry, Orlando McBayne (Ronaldo Scott 79th), Oliver Trail (Everett Mullings 63rd), Fitzroy Campbell, Delroy Ellis (Nicolie Barrett 74th), Dino Williams.

Subs not used: Shavar Campbell, Mouracio Gordon, Ronaldo Rodney, Keith Hamilton

Referee: Kevin Morrison

Assistant Referees: Stacey-Ann Greyson and Richard Washington

Fourth Official: Kevin Thomas

Match Commissary: Owen Powell