Former champions Portmore United assumed pole position in the Red Stripe Premier League (RSPL) standings after clipping UWI FC 1-0 courtesy of a late strike by Maalique Foster at UWI Bowl, Mona, yesterday.

Former champions Portmore United assumed pole position in the Red Stripe Premier League (RSPL) standings after clipping UWI FC 1-0 courtesy of a late strike by Maalique Foster at UWI Bowl, Mona, yesterday.

Foster’s 87th-minute goal propelled Portmore United to 21 points, one ahead of the University team, who were being condemned to their second-straight defeat and first at home since the start of the season.

They now have slipped into third position with 20 points behind second-placed Humble Lion due to an inferior goal difference.

Winning coach Linval Dixon was delighted with the result as his team continued a rich vein of form in now adding impetus to their campaign with four wins and a draw in their last five fixtures.

“It was a good performance, it was a tough game and naturally not many chances were created, but we capitalised on one of the chances and we will take it. Today (yesterday) we demonstrated that we can play under pressure and that is really good for us,” he told journalists in a post-match interview.

His counterpart Marcel Gayle hailed his team for a spirited fight despite coming away empty-handed.

“It was a gallant effort from my team (and) I think we should have held out, but we conceded late in the game and that will always be hard to swallow. But we take heart from the game (as) I think tactically we were sound (but) we were just unfortunate today,” he said.

It was a keenly contested fixture that could have gone either way as both teams displayed good all-round ability when playing out a goalless first half. Earlier, the hosts gradually gained the ascendancy and should have gone in front from the penalty spot in the 22nd minute, but Captain Rochane Smith turned the 12-yard kick wide of the right upright after Ryan Wellington handled the ball inside the area.

Portmore United maintained the momentum on the resumption after finishing strongly in the latter stages of the first half, but failed to beat the glove of custodian Amal Knight. They applied consistent pressure with a few colourful plays, but poor decision making on the part of Jovan East on a number of occasions denied them the breakthrough.

At the other end, Anthony Greenland was also presented with a glorious chance to put UWI in front after being allowed space and time to drive home a right-footer. He instead did the opposite and steered his shot wide of the upright.

Portmore continued to press and eventually broke the deadlock when a breakdown in communication in UWI’s defence allowed Foster to slip the ball through the legs of the advancing Knight before slotting into an empty net to secure all three points.

TEAMS:

UWI FC – Amal Knight, Rochane Smith, Keammar Daley(Kemar

Cummings 76th), Deno Schaffe, Jamie Robinson, Kemar

Flemmings, Dawyne Smith(Patrick Brown 74th), Anthony

Greenland(Jerondy Henry 85th), Davion Garrison, Deighton

Stuart, Taniel McKenzie

Subs not used: Leighton Donaldson, Kemar Douglas, Kemoy

Atkinson, Taffarrel Crossdale

Booked: Daley (40th), Robinson (80th)

Portmore United – Shaven-Sean Paul, Damono Solomon,

Ryan Wellington, Kareem Manning, Henrico Ricketts, Ewan

Grandison, Suelae McCalla, Kambuji McCalla (Cleon Pryce

65th), Mark Alves(Tramaine Stewart 65th), Maalique Foster,

Jovan East (Demetri Dunkley 81st)

Subs not used: Kemar Foster, Andre Dyce, Adoah Nickles,

Osani Ricketts

Booked: Wellington (22nd), Stewart (75th)

Referee: Dwight Royal

Assistant Referees: Melvin Reid; Jermaine Yee Sing

Fourth Official: Derron Davy

Match Commissary: Anthony Cooke