Harbour View FC continued their snail-pace rebound in the Red Stripe Premier League when they edged UWI FC 1-0 in a contest lacking the spectacular at the Mona Bowl yesterday.

Shemar Nairne’s 38th-minute goal was the highlight of the afternoon save for a pleasant mid-afternoon downpour that shared the heavenly space with a brilliant sunshine.

The win moved the “Stars of the East” to 23 points and one leap up the standings to ninth, snatching the spot from FC Reno, who dropped to 10th after they were hammered 3-0 by league debutantes and cellar-dwellers Dunbeholden FC, also yesterday. Reno remained on 20 points, while Dunbeholden moved to 16, moving one place up to 11th. Montego Bay United slipped to 12th, also on 16 points, with an inferior goal difference.

UWI, meantime, provisionally retained their sixth position on 27 points, a place they could swap with either seventh-placed Tivoli Gardens (25 points) or eighth-place Humble Lion (24), both of whom were scheduled to meet in a late kick-off yesterday.

At the UWI Bowl yesterday, Harbour View turned in, at best, a workmanlike performance for the three points, which has kept their recent unbeaten run going under promoted coach Fabian Taylor following a wretched start to the season.

However, it was UWI who orchestrated the first real threatening moment of the game through the hard-working Patrick Brown in minute 22.

Blessed with good speed and the ability for the jinking run, Brown carved a path to goal and set himself up to unleash, but the shot from the edge of the 18-yard box flew wide.

A minute later, Brown was at it again. On this occasion he made a cross-field dribble and not the more direct approach prior, but when he needed to deliver the killer strike, again he came up short, kicking tamely with the left boot to Christian Kluvis in the Harbour View goal.

Throughout the contest, Brown and Andre Bernal positioned themselves as a double-headed attacking threat for UWI, at times combining to unlock the opponents’ defence, but the clinical finish eluded them.

At the other end, Harbour View focused their attacking ploys down the right side to good effect with Bebeto McDonald and Timar Lewis the main agitators.

It was one of these right-sided conspiracies that opened the door for the game’s solitary goal, when a low ball escaped the lunging feet of the UWI defenders and found Nairne, who took one touch before shooting under national goalie Amal Knight.

Both sides, while lacking in the aesthetics on the day, managed to create a few late openings, the majority of which went to UWI as they hustled for the equalising goal.

Teams: UWI FC — Amal Knight, Michael Heaven, Deno Schaffe, Kemoy Atkinson (Javoy Belnavis 70th), Jerondy Henry, Ramoun Reid, Patrick Brown, Fabion McCarthy, Andre Bernal, Dwayne Smith (Nacquain Brown 78th), Akeem Thenstead (Courtney Allen 53rd)

Subs not used: George Brown, Kemar Flemmings, Davian Garrison, Stephen Barrett

Booked: Reid (50th)

Harbour View FC — Christian Kluvis, Nicholas Beckett, Ajeanie Talbott, Odane Samuels, Odorland Harding, Kemar Bennett, Jabari Howell (Casseam Priestly 70th), Bryon English (Oquassa Chong 87th), Timar Lewis, Bebeto McDonald (Tyreek Magee 82nd), Shemar Nairne

Subs not used: Akeem Smith, Dicoy Williams, Dasha Satchwell, Mark Alves, Shandee Brooks

Booked: Chong (90th)

Referee: Okieto Nicholson

Assistant Referees: Jermaine Yee-Sing, Damion Williams

Fourth Official: Steffon Dewar

Match Commissary: Garfield McDonald

— Sean Williams