THERE were no goals in the latest edition of the Clarendon derby between Humble Lion and Sporting Central Academy.

Yet when referee Courtney Campbell blew the final whistle at the Effortville Community Centre, neither side bemoaned the lack of genuine goalmouth activity in this third-round Red Stripe Premier League fixture.

In fact, both coaches greeted each other in the post-match pleasantries with the postures of two mildly pleased neighbourhood competitors, who, looking on the bigger picture, ultimately decided to settle for the least damaging result.

But while the point is seemingly a good result in the short-term, there’s no telling what effect it will have on either side’s season-ending ambitions.

For Humble Lion, it meant they inched to 46 points and remained in fourth spot, albeit with a reduced advantage (of three points) over nearest semi-final rivals Harbour View. On the contrary, Sporting Central, now on 32 points, did manage to widen the gap between themselves and the relegation zone to five points.

And this is a cushion that their coach Nigel Stewart believes should serve them well going up against fellow relegation strugglers Reno FC (27) in their next match.

“We are satisfied,” said Stewart. “We are away from home so to get a point is not a bad result, and as long as we don’t lose to Reno we should be in good stead to avoid relegation.”

The Humble Lion coach Donovan Duckie was less forthright in his semi-final prediction, but he did admit that with just four games left in the preliminary round schedule, destiny remains in their hands.

“We have a three-point advantage with four important games to go, so it is still possible,” he said, before adding: “Going forward, it will be difficult for both us and Harbour View, so we need to go to Waterhouse and get a positive result in our next game. They are not safe either, so this will be a crucial game.”