Newly promoted Mount Pleasant FA were the hot topic of the Red Stripe Premier League at the start of the 2018-2019 season. They spent big bucks to acquire a number of experienced players to complement their roster in a bid to be competitive in their first season at the highest level of club football in Jamaica.

The St Ann-based club began their inaugural campaign in fantastic fashion with a dramatic 2-1 win over defending champions Portmore United at the Spanish Town Prison Oval, a game watched by the largest number of travelling fans in the premier league.

They put together a series of good performances at the top of the season, but cooled off as the first round wore on and limped their way through the second round as they struggled to score goals.

The team managed to finish round two in fifth place and effectively in a qualifying position for the knockout round.

But more is expected from a club that is fashioned off the great English Premier League club, Chelsea FC, by owner Peter Gould, who was formerly a part of the London-based organisation.

After splitting the first two games against Portmore with a win apiece, the third and final regular season game between the two ended in a 1-1 stalemate on Sunday with Kemar Beckford earning a point for his team with a well taken goal in the second half.

It was a good response from Mount Pleasant after going behind late in the first half and certainly a platform on which to build their critical third round programme.

Beckford explained how the tactical adjustments by coach Donovan Duckie in the second half paid dividends in the end.

“In the second half the coach changed the formation… he took off Devon Hodges and put me up top. He put on two quick wingers because this Portmore team is a very good counter-pressing team and attacking team, so coach told me to play off Cardel Benbow and we will get the goal because we are quick strikers up top,” Beckford reasoned.

The striker, who has one of the most elaborate celebrations in the league with the acrobatic back flip, explained how it all came about.

“It’s a great feeling for me to celebrate like that, I started five years ago. When I was small I used to dance and I always wanted to flick, so now I always want to flick when I score my goals,” he explained.

Beckford admitted to his team losing focus at one stage, but says taking points from every game for the rest of the regular season is paramount.

“We got back our counter-attacking game right now after losing focus in the first and second rounds, but now in the third round we are in a better frame of mind. We have brought in some new players including (Jourdaine) Fletcher from MoBay United and (Devon) Hodges from Humble Lion and we know he is a great player, so we have to go for victories or a point in this third round,” he suggested.

Having avoided the relegation scrap from the get go, the minimum target for Mount Pleasant must now be play-off football, although Beckford has set the bar a little bit higher.

“Our aim is to ensure we make it to the semi-final round and then take it from there,” he disclosed.

Mount Pleasant, who are in fifth position will play second-placed Waterhouse FC at Drewsland on Sunday starting at 7:00 pm.

— Dwayne Richards