Not very often are football enthusiasts treated to an entertaining Red Stripe Premier League (RSPL) encounter where all three substitutes from one team positively impact the outcome.

The University of the West Indies (UWI) had such fortune on Sunday when three of only five players on their bench inspired a 4-1 victory over 10-man Portmore United at Spanish Town Prison Oval.

Despite the numerical advantage, UWI FC were briefly made to toil before second half goals from Davion Garrison (61st), substitutes Andrae Bernal (72nd), Jerondy Henry (78th) and Dawyne Smith (83rd), propelled them to a third-consecutive win and continue their rich vein of form.

Jovan East got the consolation for last year’s beaten finalist in the 84th minute.

Andrew Peart, assistant coach, lauded his team for a stellar performance, in particular the substitutes who played a vital role in ensuring that UWI comfortably made amends for a 0-1 loss when hosting the same opponents on last.

Bernal, who replaced Jamie Robinson in the attack on the resumption, supplied a weighted cross for Garrison to break the deadlock, before etching his name on the scoresheet with a delicate effort from the edge of the 18-yard area which left the custodian beaten at his far post.

The lanky centre forward, sporting the number 16 jersey, was pulled from the attack shortly after due to an injury and made way for the deceptive Henry, who notched his first goal for the club when he drove home a right-footer from deep inside the area five minutes upon his entry.

Another substitute in Kemar Cummings took over duties from Garrison and though not getting on the scoresheet was critical in assisting Smith to cap off the emphatic victory.

Peart, the tactician who is also the assistant to Miguel Coley at Jamaica College, believes the productivity and effectiveness of the substitutes augur well for the competitiveness of the team going forward.

“It was a creditable performance from the team to get all three points away to a team like Portmore United, particularly the performances of the players that came on and impacted the game. That is the best result any coach could ask for in making substitutions.

“So going forward those players will have a little bit more confidence to try and push for a starting place and to create an even more competitive team so that should do well for us going forward,” he told the Jamaica Observer in a post-game interview on Sunday.

Even though it is still early days yet with the season being 14 games old, the Marcel Gayle-conditioned UWI FC have already asserted themselves as a main contender for a semi-final spot in this their second season in the nation’s top flight league.

After improving their away record to five wins from seven games, they held firm in second position on the 12-team standing with 29 points, two points behind champions Montego Bay United on 31.

Their statistics of nine wins, two draws and three losses so far this season represent a significant improvement from a fairly poor start at the same point last season where they had five wins, four draws and five losses. They eventually ended that debut season in fifth position, one point shy of a semi-final spot.

Peart attributed a high level of determination and desire to excel on the part of the players as the main formula for their success rate thus far.

“Being second at this point is a good look for us, but we will continue to take it game by game. Most people didn’t expect us last year to make the run that we did and this year to have the start that we are now having.

“So it is game by game for us; we are not thinking about an end result as yet, we just take it in strides. So for now we are focusing on recovering and preparing for the next game,” Peart noted.

He continued: “We have a bunch of guys who want to do well personally and they want to make an impact for the university seeing that we are a fairly new team in the league despite this being our second season.

“So it is the desire and the ambition from the players that really propel us. Yes, we have other contributing factors, but once you have motivated players it all spells well for the team.”