TUCKER, St James — Defending champions Montego Bay United (MBU) move into second place in the Red Stripe Premier League after Sunday’s 2-0 win over Arnett Gardens at the WesPow Park in Tucker, their first regular season win over the South St Andrew club in two years.

It was the first time since the 2014-15 season, when MBU won 5-0, that the teams were meeting at WesPow Park as the games between the teams in Montego Bay had been moved to the more spacious Montego Bay Sports Complex.

Second-half goals from Donovan Carey and Dino Williams carried the champions to their third win in a row and their fourth in five games to improve to 22 points, one behind leaders UWI FC, with a game in hand against Arnett Gardens at WesPow Park on Thursday.

Arnett Gardens extended their winless run to three games, after drawing the last two and dropping to sixth place in the points table, stuck on 18 points.

MBU dominated the possession and scoring chances, attacking the Arnett Gardens team from the start and a pleased coach Slavisa Bozicic told the

Jamaica Observer that was the style of football he wanted to play from the start, but had to wait for the players to adapt to the system.

“We needed time, but we are getting better and stronger,” he told the Observer, before adding that the team had improved “between 40 and 50 per cent since he took over in July”.

The coach had high praises for debutant midfielder Kevon Lambert, who played in place of regular holding midfielder Dwayne Ambursely, who was injured on national duties last week. He looked poised against the more experienced Arnett Gardens players and fitted in well alongside Keniel Kirlew and Jermaine Woozencroft.

Come Thursday when the teams will meet in a rescheduled first-round game at the same venue, Bozicic said he could make some adjustments “depending on how the players recover. We will still play an attacking game, but we want to see how they recover from their injuries as well”.

Arnett Gardens’ coach Jerome Waite, while saying his team was not in a downward spiral, lamented them not taking their few scoring chances that were created.

“It was a game of few chances; we got some in the first half, but never made use of them. We had one real good shot at goal but we did not execute,” he said, adding that MBU “were the more purposeful team today and they capitalised on our errors”.

Returning to Montego Bay on Thursday will be tough, he said. “Travelling to MoBay and playing is always difficult,” he pointed out. “It will be hard to travel all that way again in a few days, we will have to rotate players and see what we can get from the game.”

Leon Strickland should have sent Arnett Gardens into the lead as early as the ninth minute, but his shot from point blank range from a rebound was blocked by goalkeeper Jacomeno Barrett for a corner.

That and a weak shot that came back off the inside of the MBU post in the 41st minute were the only real chances, as the home team took over the game.

Despite pushing Arnett Gardens back into their own defensive area for long periods and keeping goalkeeper Damion Hyatt busy, MBU failed to make the breakthrough in the first half.

Central defender John Barrett headed wide in the 31st minute and Keniel Kirlew, who had a few shots at goal, just missed with a spanking left-footer from about 25 yards out, the shot just curling wide of Hyatt’s right post.

MBU finally made the breakthrough in the 50th minute when Carey was well placed to tap in his first goal of the season after Allan Ottey’s brilliant effort on the right flank, cutting into the 18-yard box and beating Hyatt and two defenders at the post where his shot was turned in at the far post.

Williams, who also scored the winner against Jamalco FC last Wednesday, added a second in the 78th minute when his shot from just on the edge of the 18-yard box beat Hyatt on its way across the line.

Arnett Gardens had a late chance to pull one goal back as, with six minutes to go, goalkeeper Barrett had to scramble on his hands and knees but got a glove to a shot from the right side, directing it out for a corner.

Teams: Montego Bay United — Jacomeno Barrett, Ladale Richie, Jason Watson, John Barrett, Keniel Kirlew, Kemar Drake, Kevon Lambert, Jermaine Woozencroft (Johann Weatherly 63rd), Donovan Carey (Corey Hylton 73rd), Allan Ottey, Dino Williams (Ramone Sibley 84th )

Subs not used: David Swaby, Fabion McCarthy, Derron McLeod, Otis Friend

Booked: Kirlew (27th), Sibley (86th)

Arnett Gardens — Damion Hyatt, Oniel Thompson, Jabeur Johnson, Ranike Anderson, Jason Moore, Andrew Phang, Shawn McKoy, Fabian Reid, Dicoy Williams, Leon Strickland, Lennox Russell

Subs not used: Damari Deacon, Carlloyd Walters, Jamar Martin, Kimani Arbourne, Kemal Malcolm

Booked: None

Referee: Kevin Morrison

Assistant Referees: Oyinco McTaggart, Jermaine Yesingh

Fourth Official: Karl Tyrell

Match Commissary: Devon Maxwell