Rivoli United defeated Sporting Central Academy 2-0 at Spanish Town Prison Oval recently, to grab the 2016-2017 South Central Confederation Magnum/Charley’s JB Rum Super League title.

Jeremy Nelson scored in the 56th minute, while Andrea Hutton completed the double in the 90+3.Rivoli advance to the confederation play-offs where they will compete for one of two promotion spots in the 2017-2018 season Red Stripe Premier League.Anthony Thompson, the coach of St Catherine-based Rivoli, was elated.“We are extremely happy to be on our way back to the Premier League where we belong. The vibes in the camp is great. The players have realised that they have a good chance in making it back to the big league and are telling me that they plan to work harder to return there. I think this is a good sign when players take the initiative to tell the coach that they want to win and they are willing to do what it takes to do so,” he said.“Our approach in the play-offs will be to win all home games, and nothing less than a draw for the away games. These points, I am sure, will put the team in a good position. Losing is not in our thoughts right now. We started the season on a bad footing but, thank God, we regrouped and got out of that bad patch, recovered, and never looked back.”Dean Mullings, the disappointed head coach of Sporting Central Academy, said: “It was very challenging to motivate the team to play at the Prison Oval. We did a lot of preparation in finishing leading up to the semis and the final, however we were not able to make many penetrative passes through Rivoli’s defence.”During the preliminary stage, Tru-Juice and St Bess both topped the point standings with 34 points each. Sporting Central Academy gained 32 points, followed by Rivoli United on 31 to round out the four semi-finalists.— Beverly Melbourne