TOLL GATE, Clarendon — Interim coach Vassell Reynolds is hoping Sunday’s 1-0 win over Boys’ Town will mark a return to form for Sporting Central Academy (SCA) in the Red Stripe Premier League.

Jamoly Powell scored the only goal of the game at Brancourt in the 76th minute to give the Clarendon side their first win in seven games, which included five defeats.

Powell entered the field as 69th-minute substitute and, like he did against Waterhouse in the first-round, finished off a swift counter attack with a curling left-footed effort beyond visiting keeper Kirk Porter.

The goal set up a frantic finale, with Sporting playing on the counter as Boys’ Town chased an elusive equaliser.

The performance was by no means punctuated with the slick passing and off-the-ball movement which their fans are accustom to, but it did demonstrated a determination to dig themselves out of the rut which cost previous coach Nigel Stewart his job.

“I really like the effort today,” Reynolds said. “We are just going through a bad patch and sometimes you can’t just get out of the bag suddenly like that. I told the guys we don’t need to pressure ourselves; we just need to approach the game positively and come out with a result.

“I asked the guys to accept changes and different roles on the field. In the last five minutes we had to go defensive and play on the counter, so we made a tactical change and it paid off for us.”

The result, in the meantime, extended Boys’ Town’s winless run to four games – a run of form which could see Andrew Price’s side slipping further behind in the title race, should leaders Harbour View (29) win their game in hand against Tivoli Gardens.

They remain in third on 23 points, but are being hotly pursued by a jumbled mid-table. Price, however, remains hopeful that his side will recover in due time.

“The team is going through a little patch, but we just have to fight our way out of it,” he said. “We have a number of players unavailable at the moment so the fringe players will just have to step up.”

TEAMS:

Sporting Central — Sanchez Lloyd, Gregory Lewis, Owen Gordon, Dale Watson, Linval Lewis, Camaal Reid, Kadian Wynter, Keith Kelly (Jamoly Powell 69th), Ackeem McLean (Dwayne Campbell 69th), Levaughn Williams, Justin Johnson (Dwight Dunk 87th).

Subs not used: G Eastwood, O Rose, S Lovelace, K Drake Booked: Watson (44th)

Boys’ Town — Kirk Porter, Hugh Evans, Wayne Ellis, Nicholas McMorris, Xavian Virgo, Daemon Benjamin, Marvin Stewart (Joel Williams 82nd), Garfield Gillespie (Anthony Bennett 89th), Khalil Johnson, Shane Edwards (Fabian Francis 65th), Rafeik Thomas.

Subs not used: L Goffe, A Samuels, R Binns, M Howell Booked: None

Referee: Kevin Thomas Assistants: Lloyd Edwards, Oyinco McTaggart

Fourth Official: Doyen Tummings Match Commissary: Dudley Powell