RED Stripe Premier League leaders Waterhouse FC defeated former leaders Cavalier 2-0 in a rescheduled game at Stadium East on Monday night to move to 23 points in the 12-team championship.

Goal-scoring midfielder Tremaine Stewart put Waterhouse on their path to victory with a stunning strike in the fifth minute, while Romario Campbell sealed the issue for all three points with an equally well-taken goal in the first two minutes of time added to increase their team’s lead at the top of the standings by six.

Harbour View come next in the standings with 17 points and Cavalier third, also on 17.

Despite the margin of victory by Waterhouse, it was not a joy ride for the victors as Cavalier created enough goal-scoring chances to have shared the spoils, but they were aimless in their shooting as they were severely hampered probably by the absence of their most productive strike force of Oshane Jenkins and Chevone Marsh, who are currently away on national duty in Vera Cruz, Mexico, with the CAC Games team.

But credit must also go to Waterhouse for not succumbing to sustained periods of pressure from a marauding Cavalier after Watehouse had taken the lead, which led winning coach Anthony Patrick to give this comment afterwards.

“In the first 15 minutes (during which time the goal was scored) Waterhouse were making up to 80-odd passes. But for the second 15 we fell to 50 and the next 15 to 40. So that just showed that we were going downwards and with that brought back Cavalier into the game at that point,” he explained.

“With this sort of pressure, it showed that Cavalier wanted a goal to tie the game and they pressed and pressed, but Waterhouse stood firm under constant pressure and this demonstrated the measure of the mental toughness of the team that came out in this game,” Patrick added.

Losing coach Rudolph Speid believed that conceding an early goal proved a setback.

“It was a fairly even game… but the early goal set us back and we did everything except score a goal, and in the end pushing forward in search of an equaliser cost us the second goal,” he noted.

Teams:

Cavalier — Kadeen Davis, Jeffrey Grant, Girvan Brown, Dwayne Holmes (Kemar Shaw 84th), Donovan Alveranga, Jermaine Ricketts, Davion Alves, Liston James, Al Nesbeth, Kamoy Simpson (Atapharoy Bygrave 67th), Jerome Smith (Claudius Blackburn 68th).

Subs not used: J Mitchell, N Hamilton, R Clarke, A Smith

Booked: Jerome Smith (21st), Simpson (53rd)

Waterhouse FC — Kelso Cousins, Rohan Amos, Nicholi Finlayson, Evan Taylor, Hughan Gray, Damarley Samuels, Damion Binns, Tremaine Stewart, Romario Campbell (Oshane Roberts 90+4), Jermaine Anderson (Adoah Nickle 74th), Juvaune Benjamin (Neicho Williams 81st).

Subs not used: R McCallum, N Leslie, J Powell, U Edwards.

Booked: Stewart 45+1, Binns 47th, Campbell 66th, Benjamin 69th,

Referee: Kevin Morrison

Assistant Referees: Garnet Page, Lloyd Reader

Fourth Official: Karl Tyrell

Match Commissary: Anthony Cooke