TUCKER, St James — A brilliant goal from Jourdane Fletcher helped Montego Bay United come back from a first-half deficit and earn a 1-1 draw with Humble Lion, in their Red Stripe Premier League first-round game played at WesPow Park in Tucker on Sunday.

Fletcher, who represented the national senior team while he was still in high school, was scoring for the first time this year and first since the 2016-17 season, after spending last year at college in the United States.

Craig Foster had given Humble Lion the lead in the first half but they had to settle for the point, their third straight. However, the Clarendon team has dominated Montego Bay United (MBU) over the last three years as this was just the third draw for MBU in the last seven meetings between the teams.

The draw moved Montego Bay United up a spot to sixth place on eight points as they took their unbeaten run to four games while Humble Lion also inched one place up to 10th from 11th place.

Vassell Reynolds said while he was satisfied with the draw after a dour first half, they could have won “with a little bit of luck”.

After seeming to sleepwalk through the first half Reynolds said he asked the senior players to take more responsibility and it paid dividends.

“At the half-time break we asked the senior players to take more responsibility out there,” he said. “I thought we had senior players out there in the likes of Jermaine Woozencroft, John Barrett and Keniel Kirlew, but they were not stepping up and were leaving the responsibility to the younger players. also we were playing tentatively on our home ground coming off a win; that surprised me.”

Reynolds said things changed in the second half as the senior players rose to the occasion. “We raised the tempo of the game and pressed them and with a little luck we could have won it, but I am still satisfied with the draw based on the first half. it could have been worst.”

Glendon ‘Admiral’ Bailey said a mistake by his goalkeeper might have cost them two points, but he was happy for a point away from home.

“We controlled the first half and we knew they would come at us early in the second half. this is something that we spoke about and the goal lifted them up as expected at home,”he said, before adding that it was little mistakes that had caused them to be without a win so far.

Foster’s goal come from a good move by Humble Lion on the left and lax defending by the Montego Bay United players — leaving the striker with a clear shot at goal from inside the 18 -yard box and he duly obliged in the 39th minute.

Earlier, Renae Lloyd had his tame shot from the top of the six yards box blocked by Montego Bay United’s goalkeeper Zavhia Hutchinson.

The home team had the first look-in at goal in the sixth minute, as Odane Nish missed a clear header from point blank range after a good cross from Fletcher.

Fletcher played on the right wing and after his progress was stopped on the edge of the 18-yards box, turned and looped a left footer that curled high into the top of the far corner of the goal, just out of the range of goalkeeper Damion Crooks.

The home team then took over the game and created several scoring chances, especially after Allan Ottey replaced Nevaun Turner and they then took the fight to a tiring Humble Lion team.

The best chance came in the 85th minute after a smart exchange between Nazime Mattalie-Grant and Jermaine Woozencroft, but the former shot straight at Crooks from about eight metres out.

Teams: Montego Bay United — Zavhia Hutchinson, Keniel Kirlew, Jermaine Woozencroft, John Barrett, Winston Wilkinson, Shemar Robinson (Nicholas Amponsah 46th), Anthony Drummond, Nevaun Turner (Allan Ottey 56th), Odane Nish (Giovanni Reid-80th), Nazime Mattalie-Grant, Jourdane Fletcher

Subs not used: Aian Miller, Dwayne Ambusley, Omar Brown, Renaldo Wellington

Booked: Turner (53rd), Woozencroft (89th)

Humble Lion — Damion Crooks, Hugh Howell, Oniel Thompson, Keniel Hyde, Kemar Drake, Renae Lloyd, Michael Binns, Romoy Parkins (Wolry Wolfe 64th), Rohan Richards (Hughan Gray 86th), Levaughn Williams, Craig Foster (Francois Swaby 76th)

Subs not used: Keniel Petrie, Kevon Reid, Seigel Knight, Romeo Wright

Booked: Binns (78th), Wolfe (88th)

Referee: Oshane Nation

Assistant referees: Jermaine Yee-Singh, Ricton Archer

F ourth official: Andrewa Hayden

Match commissary: Gavin McNeil