CLARENDON, Jamaica — Sporting Central coach Merron Gordon has said the team’s strong defensive display was the focal point of their 2-0 victory over Harbour View on the opening day of the Red Stripe Premier League season.

Playing for only the second time at their new Juici Patties Park base, Sporting were out-possessed for long spells on Sunday, but seized the initiative against the run of play when Gregory Lewis rifled in a 28th-minute opener.

The south-west Clarendon side then resorted to counter-attacking tactics to repel the visitors’ advances, which proved fruitful as Francois Swaby notched a second goal on 75 minutes.

“This victory is a good mark for us at the start of the season,” noted Gordon.

“Harbour View is a quality team. They are more experienced than us, so I really have to commend the guys for being disciplined defensively. They really stuck to the task and I think that’s what made the difference today.”

While Sporting were stout in defence, they were uncharacteristically under-par in possession. That’s a deficiency Gordon is aiming to correct for their next game.

He said: “I think we had too many turnovers, especially when we worked so hard to get the ball. That’s something that we’ll have to work on.”