Portmore United FC are 90 minutes away from their fourth straight Red Stripe Premier League (RSPL) final. Standing in their way are first time RSPL semifinalists Mount Pleasant FA who are also playing in their first season of top flight football on the island.

A stoppage time winner from substitute Roshane Sharpe gave the champions a 2-1 advantage heading into tonight’s second leg semifinal and they are determined to see out the tie, which is the feature game in a double header at the National Stadium.

The game is scheduled to kick off at 8:35 pm following the 5:30 pm return leg between Waterhouse FC and Cavalier FC. Waterhouse holds a 2-0 advantage in that tie.

Things could have been different for the current champions who came under siege from Mount Pleasant at the start of the game last Monday, but a solid defensive display and a cool finish from their top scorer Javon East, gave them a precious 1-0 lead at half time.

With very little to aim at and under pressure from the Mount Pleasant defenders, the left footed player scored with a right footed strike that went across the face of goal and into the far corner, just two minutes before the interval.

East was happy to give his team the lead despite the difficulty in taking the chance.

“The angle was difficult for me and the only choice I had was to shoot with my right foot to have a chance of scoring,” he said.

Sharpe scored what is often called a “baby line” goal in Jamaica but he claims it was harder than it looked. He said it was the hardest of his five goals this season.

“It was the hardest one because it was a winning goal and those balls have some serious bounce,” he declared.

While most players on the substitute’s bench hope to get a run out, Sharpe knew he would have a big impact on the semifinal.

“I knew from Saturday evening at training that I would score, I even planned where I was going to run for my celebration,” said the second year Portmore United player.

Both East and Sharpe are confident of making it into the final but Sharpe is the more confident of the two, stating: “we will win the competition!”

East believes that his teammates “just need to go out there and play disciplined and play our game”.

The one goal advantage and the experience of three finals in a row means Portmore definitely go into the game with a psychological edge, but games are played on the field and no match is won until the final whistle is blown by the referee.

There is still a lot to play for and fans will be hoping for another entertaining game tonight between two of the best teams in the country. Dwayne Richards