MANDEVILLE, Manchester — Barbican look set to retain their Sherwin Williams Women’s League football title after scoring a comfortable 2-0 away win over newcomers Los Perfectos in the first-leg final at Brooks Park yesterday.

Jodi-Ann McGregor blasted home from the penalty spot in the 83rd minute, before Alicia James sealed the issue on the stroke of full-time with a long-range effort to leave her coach Charles Edwards a satisfied man.

“I think we played an average game, because Los Perfectos never really gave us the space to play, but all in all I’m happy with the result,” Edwards said.

Los Perfectos, who were by no means outplayed, will now need a giant effort if they are to overturn the two-goal deficit and win their first title.

But assistant coach Kurt Brooks thinks it’s attainable. “I think we can go to Barbican and get the two or three goals needed,” he said. “We went there and beat them before, so we’ll just have to hope for the best and continue to work on our weakness.”

For the first 10 minutes of the game both teams seemed content on feeling out each other in midfield with the defending champions looking more comfortable on the ball.

And they should have gone ahead in the 11th minute after Los Perfectos’s custodian Sheena Wint failed to hold onto a lofted ball into her area, but none of their players was alert enough to pounce.

Five minutes later, they were presented with another opportunity when Nadola Chase ghosted past her markers to collect a defence-splitting pass, but Wint was well positioned this time, falling away to her left to make a comfortable save, as the teams went into the break on level terms.

In the second half, the homesters, who were second best for most of the first half, played with more confidence and were no longer being caught flat-footed on the counter.

But even though they were seeing more possession in this half, attackers Nugene Nugent and Carla Daniels weren’t being fed enough balls to be pose any real threat to the visitors.

At that point it appeared that both teams were being cautious, preferring to settle for a point than none at all.

However, it wasn’t to be as on 83 minutes a Los Perfectos defender used her hand to block a shot inside the penalty area and McGregor obliged with a well-taken spot kick to the left of Wint.

And with just about 10 seconds remaining in the game, Barbican were smiling again as James fired home from some 30 yards to put her team in a good position ahead of next week’s finale.