TOLL GATE, Clarendon — Irrespective of how badly the previous season ended, opening day in the Red Stripe Premier League always brings a familiar, yet anticipated, feeling of newness with it: new players, new gear and, more often than not, a fresh injection of sponsorship dollar into clubs’ coffers. All added together, usually leads to renewed hopes all around.

At Sporting Central Academy, the aim, according to coach Nigel Stewart, is to “stay as close as possible to the leaders” for each of the three preliminary rounds, thus giving themselves a good chance of making the play-offs.

Generally, what happens on the first day of the season should not be taken as a sign of things to come, but if this version of Sporting Central shows up every week, with opponents as obliging as Boys’ Town, they will have no problem achieving that goal.

It is not that Sporting are head and shoulders over Boys’ Town; on the day they just did most important things better than their Corporate Area opponents. The usual things: passing, maintaining team shape and putting the ball into the net.

There were two deficiencies that plagued Boys’ Town in the first half. First, they, appearing to be timid of Sporting’s speed on the counter, allowed the home side too much room to settle into a rhythm. Then, in an effort to stop them, they started to foul their opponents with alarming regularity — with the small number 10 player, Renoir Elliot singled out for most of the abuse.

For the first goal Friend, Francois Swaby crashed the ball into the roof of the net after collecting a grass-cutting cross.

For the second, Swaby — Sporting’s best player last season — picked up a loose ball in midfield and, with only a few hurdles to negotiate, suddenly found himself staring into Kirk Porter’s sclera. Despite getting a hand to the ball, the Boys’ Town goalkeeper and captain could only watch in despair as Swaby peeled away in celebration.

From this point on even the late Ray Charles could see which team would emerge victorious, even if the gangly debutant Andre Jones did not head in a late third, again from a left-sided Otis Friend cross.

Teams:

Sporting Central Academy — Allien Whittaker, Dale Watson, Kemar Drake, Rupert Murray, Gregory Lewis, Camaal Reid, Kadian Wynter, Renoir Elliot (Cory Hylton 59th), Francois Swaby (Michael Moreland 87th), Otis Friend, Kavim Bascom (Andre Jones 54th).

Subs not used: Romaine Bowers, Kevon Reid, Mikhail Howell, Andrew Allen. Booked: Bascom (45+), Jones (66th), Drake (76th)

Boys’ Town — Kirk Porter, Carlos Wright, Hugh Evans, Daemon Benjamin, Asrick Samuels, Michael Campbell, Marvin Stewart, Andre Dawson (Orlando Stewart 54th), Tevin Garnett (Garfield Gillespie 55th), Peter Keys, Rafiek Thomas (Owen Powell 55th).

Subs not used: Carlloyd Walters, Williams Richards, Rohan Scott, Pierce McPherson.

Booked: Wright (11th), Dawson (38th)

Sporting.……………………….3Swaby (21st, 61st), Jones (90th)

Boys’ Town……………………0