Harbour View scored a morale-boosting 3-2 victory over league leaders Tivoli Gardens in a heated Digicel Premier League (DPL) contest in which eight yellow cards and two red cards were shown at the Harbour View mini-stadium on Sunday.

However, Tivoli remain atop the league standings despite the loss as the other front-runners Portmore United and Waterhouse also suffered defeats.

Tivoli lead the overall table with 37 points, one more than Portmore, two in front of Waterhouse and three ahead of Boys’ Town, while Portmore lead the second round standings with 19 points, followed by Arnett and Sporting Central on 17 each with two matches to go in the round.

Christopher Harvey opened the scoring from the penalty spot for the hosts after eight minutes, but Roland Dean netted the equaliser in the 32nd minute of play.

Harbour View, however, were lucky when they regained the lead through an own goal in the 33rd and that was followed by John-Ross Edwards’ strike in the 61st minute to give the home team a 3-1 lead.

But Devon Hodges popped up in minute 78 for Tivoli to ensure a tense finish.

Tivoli’s Kemar Flemming was the first to receive marching orders in the bruising contest when he was ejected for violent foul play in the 41st minute, while Harbour View’s Kemeel Wolfe was also shown the red card nine minutes from time when he picked up his second yellow of the evening.

An obviously relieved Harbour View coach, Donovan Hayles, who was winning for the first time in three matches, maintained that his young team is still capable of going all the way.

“It’s not just to win, but the way we win and I think tonight (Sunday) we played some good football… although it was difficult, we were still able to maintain possession under the adverse conditions,” he said.

The home team was indeed the better side for the first half-hour although it only took them eight minutes to get on the scoresheet.

Harbour View got their go-ahead goal when Tivoli defender and captain Kasai Hinds was called for a hand ball inside the box, after he attempted to block Wolfe’s strike. Harvey calmly slotted home the resulting kick from 12 yards.

The ‘Stars of the East’ had another great chance to increase their lead in the 28th minute, but Rafiek Thomas blasted over the crossbar after Jermaine Hue teed up a perfect volley for the striker.

However, Tivoli lifted their game in the last 20 minutes of the half and Dean came close with a header, while Christopher Jackson’s well placed free-kick was saved by Michaud Barrett in the Harbour View goal.

Then in the 32 minute, Dean drew his team level when he latched on to a poor clearance on top of the Harbour View area and smashed a spectacular volley past Barrett.

But a minute later, Harbour View were back in front as Hinds turned Hue’s inswinging free-kick into his own goal.

Tivoli then suffered another set-back four minutes before the break, when Flemming got his red-card for slapping JR Edwards during a tackle.

With Tivoli pressing for the equaliser, JR Edwards scored a third for Harbour View just past the hour when he picked up the ball just inside his opponents’ half, beat Victor Thompson for pace before slotting past Edsel Scott in goal.

But Hodges cut the lead to 3-2 in the 78th minute when he redirected a Jackson corner at the far-post.

Harbour View then went down to ten men with nine minutes remaining, but despite Tivoli throwing everything forward, the hosts held on for the full points.

Tivoli coach, Glendon ‘Admiral’ Bailey, said his team has been suffering from bad refereeing decisions of late.

“Almost every game we play now the officials call a penalty against us for hand ball, and I feel they should just make the game play,” he lamented.

TEAMS:

Harbour View — Michaud Barrett, Dicoy Williams, Robert Williams, Christopher Harvey, Kemar Lawrence, Richard Edwards, Jermaine Hue (Andre Steele 79th), Kemeel Wolfe, John-Ross Edwards (Kimorlee Brissett 68th), Rafiek Thomas, Lamar Nelson (Nicholas Beckett 86th).

Subs not used: R Muir, K Petrekin, J Richards, D Haughton

Booked: Harvey (54th), R Edwards (66th), Thomas (80th), Wolfe (ejected 81st)

Tivoli Gardens — Edsel Scott, Kemar Flemming, Kasai Hinds, Victor Thompson (Kevin Deerr 68th), Christopher Jackson, Raymond Williamson, Shawn McKoy, Devon Hodges, Navion Boyd (Kwame Richardosn 74th), Roland Dean, Nacwayne Parchment (Damion Gordon 26th).

Subs not used: L Wright, S Green, J Walters, J Thompson, L Gordon

Booked: Hinds (7th), McKoy (16th), Scott (19th), Williamson (62nd), Deerr (92nd), Flemming (ejected 41st)

Referee: Valdin Legister

Assistants: Richard Washington & Dwayne Panton

Match Commissary: Anthony Cooke

— Livingston Scott

BAILEY… almost every game we play now the officials call a penalty against us for hand ball