Paul Wilson’s sensational free kick gave Portmore United a hard-fought 1-0 win over Rivoli United in the Red Stripe Premier League football match at Spanish Town Prison Oval yesterday.

The 86th-minute strike from the pint-sized midfielder halted a bad run of games for the former champions, who had lost three on the trot.

The win kept them in third place in the 12-team table with 46 points from 25 games.

Struggling Rivoli stayed 11th with 22 points, but Waterhouse FC had the chance to leapfrog them with a favourable result in their late game yesterday.

Geoffrey Hewitt, Portmore’s head coach, was relieved at getting maximum points in a “tough” encounter.

Rivoli’s Assistant Coach Marlon Williams said he was “disappointed” because his team “fought hard, but gave up a soft free kick” that led to them conceding the late goal.

In the first half at Prison Oval, both teams found the going tough on the uneven playing surface.

But Portmore’s Jovan East got a wonderful chance to score when he was through on goal against Rivoli’s goalkeeper Levor Williams. However, the acrobatic custodian was alive to the danger and blocked East’s effort to ensure the teams entered the interval tied.

Early in the second half, Rivoli United’s Nicholas Scott fired high and wide when he found himself in a good position inside the penalty box.

With a little less than 15 minutes remaining in the game the hard-working and influential Wilson also got a good opportunity to shoot at goal at the other end. Unfortunately for him, the ball bounced awkwardly as he took aim and the effort went wide.

He had no such trouble with a 30-yard free kick four minutes before the end of normal time. Coming off a run-up of a few paces he hammered the ball with his right instep and watched as it rocketed past the flying Williams and into the upper right-hand corner of the goal.

Teams:

Rivoli United — Levor Williams, Kemar Bennett, Kevin Graham, Fabian Gordon, Jeremy Nelson, Valentine Gardener, Lenworth Pine (Owen Walters 83rd), Nicholas Scott, Ross Burton, Daniel Roberts (Rajay Sutherland 75th), Shawn Hinds (Dellon Dixon 60th)

Subs not used: Marlon Henry, Codean Smikle, Dan Reid, Ackeem Cole

Booked: Roberts (31st), Bennett (60th), Burton (77th)

Portmore United — Shaven-Sean Paul, Omar Daley, Damono Solomon, Upston Edwards, Osani Ricketts, Kareem Manning, Maalique Foster (Mark Alves 75th), Ewan Grandison, Ricardo Morris (Kambuji McCalla 80th), Paul Wilson, Jovan East

Subs not used: Tyrone Williams, Henrico Ricketts, Kristoffe Coombs, Rodian Jennings.

Booked: Morris (70th)

Referee: Kevin Morrison

Assistant Referees: Stephanie-Dale Yee Sing, Oyinco McTaggart

Fourth Official: Oshane Nation

Match Commissary: Dudley Powell

— Sanjay Myers