CATHERINE HALL, St James — Defending champions Montego Bay United (MBU) failed to make progress up the table after they had to come back from an early goal to earn a point in a 1-1 draw in their Red Stripe Premier League third-round game at the Montego Bay Sports Complex on Monday evening.

Ricardo Dennis gave Humble Lion the lead in the eighth minute when MBU’s goalkeeper Jacomeno Barrett allowed yet another simple chance to beat him before Owayne Gordon, last season’s top scorer, got his first of this season from the penalty spot in the 68th minute.

With the point, second-placed Humble Lion inched to 50 points, four behind leaders UWI FC, while MBU remained in fourth place on 47 points, but from three games less than the top two.

Both coaches expressed disappointment with the result as both thought they should have taken full points from the encounter.

MBU’s Technical Advisor Rod Underwood bemoaned yet another “soft goal” and said his team “started slowly, if you see my check sheet, it said ‘start fast’”, he told the Jamaica Observer after the game.

The addition of veteran midfielder Jermaine Woozencroft at half-time was crucial. “The adjustment for the second half was the movement of the front three. It was stagnant, so we tried to get more movement.”

The coach, who arrived in the island less than a month ago, said he was “seeing some improvements in the overall team play, but we need to move up from fourth place”.

Humble Lion’s Donovan Duckie was also disappointed. “We were dismal in front of goal. We have to be more clinical and if we want to be champions we have to punish teams like this on a stage like this, and the stage was set but we just did not do it,” he said. “It’s good that we came away with a result, but we could have lost even in the latter stages of the game.”

MBU have beaten Humble Lion just once in six meetings over the last two seasons and lost their previous two meetings this season, and trailed after just eight minutes when Dennis curled a free kick around the wall and under a lumbering Barrett at his near left post.

After a sluggish first half, MBU came out running hard and pressing the Humble Lion team that countered by trying to slow down the tempo on a field that was left slick by afternoon showers.

Johann Weatherly, who has worked his way into the starting team, replacing Dino Williams who has left for the NASL’s Indy XI, should have converted from point blank range in the 54th minute when he had a limping goalkeeper Kadeem Davis at his mercy from about eight yards out, but missed the ball completely.

MBU eventually drew level after the ball was handled by a Humble Lion defender and Gordon stepped up to bury the spot kick in the 68th minute and should have sent his team in the lead in the 70th minute but for a spectacular save at the left post by Davis, who had to be stretchered off the field after that effort.

Humble Lion had few chances in the second half but maybe the best chances of the game, but Dennis missed a wide open goal from less than five yards out, scooping the ball over the cross bar with no other player within three yards of him.

Teams: Montego Bay United — Jacomeno Barrett, Fabion McCarthy, Ladale Richie, Orlando McBayne, Kemar Drake, Keniel Kirlew, Donovan Carey (Allan Ottey 80th), Ramone Sibley (Jermaine Woozencroft 46th) Dwayne Ambusley, Johann Weatherly (Jourdaine Fletcher 85th), Owayne Gordon

Subs not used: David Swaby, John Barrett, Cory Hylton, Kashief Brown

Booked: Drake (31st), Carey (38th), Ottey (90th)

Humble Lion — Kadeem Davis (Sanchez Lloyd 73rd), Ricardo Campbell, Francois Swaby, Dwayne Holmes, Kevon Reid, Gregory Lewis, Andrew Vanzie, Kevaughn Isaacs (Dwayne Campbell 69th), Ricardo Dennis, Gary McIntosh (Wolry Wolf 75th), Levaughn Williams

Subs not used: Devon Hodges, Kirk Duckworth, Rohan Richards, Rafe Wolf

Booked: Lewis (45th), Holmes (50th), Swaby (67th), Vanzie (85th)

Referee: Valdin Ledgister

Assistant referees: Richard Washington, Ojay Duhaney

Fourth official: Veralton Nembhard

Match commissary: Gregory Daley