FROME, Westmoreland — Reno’s tumultuous five-year run in the Red Stripe Premier League will come to an end at the end of this season, following Thursday’s 2-3 loss to Mt Pleasant FA in their third-round game at Frome Sports Grounds.

The loss, Reno’s 16th of the season and their eighth loss in 16 games at home, left the former five-time champions on 23 points and destined for the bottom two with two games to go. They were suffering relegation for the third time in the last nine seasons.

Emotions ran high and tempers flared as the reality of the drop sunk in, ironically, despite what was arguably one of their best performances of the season at home.

Reno took the lead early through the veteran Renorio Downswell, but were down 1-2 though goals from Jourdaine Fletcher and Kevaughn Isaacs, though they came back to draw level at 2-2 early in the second half. However, they could not stay with the fitter Mt Pleasant team and gave up a late goal by Kesslan Hall.

In a game filled with drama, Reno were forced to make an early change when a nasty clash of heads in the 11th minute saw Romone Plummer being stretchered off and Mt Pleasant FA’s Evon Taylor, a former Reno player, being bandaged heavily.

Late in the game Alwayne Danvers, who was replaced in the 71st minute, was red-carded on the bench.

Former player Lynval Wilson Senior, who was asked the night before to take the reins on Thursday, bemoaned the team’s relegation and told the Jamaica Observer it could have been prevented.

“The players are good enough to have kept the team up. I have watched them all season and I saw a lot of potential here,” he said. “This is my team and it’s a sad situation all around.

“They played very well today but it was obvious at the end of the game that lack of fitness caught up with them; it was obvious they did not train very well,” Wilson said.

Wilson was not sure whether he would be asked to guide the team through their next two games, Sunday away to Harbor View and next Wednesday at home to relegation-threatened Humble Lion, nor is he sure whether he would be available.

“Reno is a club that is dear to me and I will do whatever I can to help.”

Nigel Stewart, the Mt Pleasant FA assistant coach, agreed with Wilson that FC Reno played well. “We came here expecting a good fight from Reno. They were facing relegation and we expected them to come at us as they had to win, and that was what happened- and they made the game very difficult for us.”

Despite having very little to lose in the game, Stewart said third-place Mt Pleasant, who are on 54 points, needed to maintain their rhythm going into the play-offs.

“We are now unbeaten in nine games and it was important for us to maintain that run as we are now looking to the play-offs, and we want to keep our momentum,” he said.

For Reno, however, it was another season of woes for the once-proud club as they were being relegated for the third time in less than a decade, after dropping out at the end of the 2008-09 season when they managed just 30 points, and again in 2011-2012 when they mustered 28 points and were dumped out along with Village United.

Teams: FC Reno — Rondell Morris (Shamar Palmer 80th), Lynval Wilson, Shamar Bernard, Tashaine Campbell, Jashane Foster, Alwayne Danvers (Romero Graham 71st), Renorio Downswell, Romone Plummer (Olaoluwade Ladapo 11th), Javier Brown, Ackeem Brown, Dwayne Foster

Subs not used: Brad Williams, Jeremy Coke, Marlon Matthews, Delon Brown

Booked: Danvers (ejected 88th)

Mt Pleasant FA — Joseph Vargas, Latroy Laing, Terrence Johnson (Dwayne Campbell 63rd), Ricardo Campbell, Kevin Graham, Evon Taylor, Kevaughn Isaacs, Jourdaine Fletcher (Xavian Virgo 56th), Devon Hodges, Kesslan Hall, Romario Campbell (Shaquille Notice 63rd)

Subs not used: Bobiander Evans, Alwayne Harvey, Michael Edwards, Liston James

Booked: Isaacs (44th), Taylor (74th)

Referee: Stefan Dewar

Assistant referees: Melvin Reid, Shavar Dennis

Fourth official: Damion Coombs

Match commissary: Gavin McNeil