Defending champions Portmore United suffered their third-consecutive loss, crashing 0-1 to Dunbeholden FC in their Red Stripe Premier League match at Spanish Town Prison Oval yesterday.

Deanandre Thomas converted from the penalty spot in the 45th minute as Dunbeholden secured their first win of the season in a hard-fought St Catherine derby.

Dunbeholden FC, in their second season of top-flight football, showed that they will be very competitive as they matched Portmore United in every department and were deserved winners.

Having lost their two opening games to Cavalier FC and Waterhouse FC, Dunbeholden kick-started their season and moved to three points, while Portmore United remained rooted at the bottom of the 12-team points standing, pointless, after losing to the promoted duo of Molynes United and Vere United and now Dunbeholden.

Meanwhile, Molynes United extended their wining run to three after edging Vere United 1-0 via a 23rd minute own goal to move to nine points. They are joined by Waterhouse FC, who trounced Harbour View FC 5-0 in their late kick-off at Drewsland.

In other games, Mount Pleasant Football Academy scored their first win of the season when they edged Tivoli Gardens 1-0 on a Kesslan Hall 86th-minute winner, while Cavalier FC were rescued by an 84th-minute penalty from Alex Marshall to salvage a 1-1 result with Humble Lion, who led through a Rohan Richards 42nd-minute goal. Richards was scoring in his third match.

Tonight former champions Arnett Gardens host The University of the West Indies (UWI) FC at 8:30 at Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex. Both teams are on three points.

Arnett Gardens are coming off a 1-0 win over Tivoli Gardens, while UWI FC will be looking to rebound after losing 2-3 to Molynes United.

In a physical game that saw referee Okeito Nicholson issuing eight yellow cards for either foul play or time-wasting, national striker Cory Burke, of Portmore United, was inches away from securing a point for his team when he headed onto the crossbar with the last play of the game in the 90th+7 minutes.

Ricardo Smith, one of three coaches for Dunbeholden, told the Jamaica Observer his team showed character and guts to secure the win against the champions.

“It was a fighting game and you not going to get anything if you don’t fight. And Portmore United is a good team, the defending champions and experienced; so you only can fight and beat these teams,” he noted.

However, Smith, who formerly played for Portmore United, revealed that the presence of several former Portmore United players in the Dunbeholden team helped his team’s cause.

“Before the team talk a few of them told us the formation they would play and we set up the team to counter that; and it is good to have them in the team to show us a few things we wouldn’t know about the Portmore team,” revealed Smith.

Meanwhile, Ricardo “Bibi” Gardner, who left Harbour View last season after a string of poor results and eventually joined the Portmore United coaching staff under Shavar Thomas, remains unperturbed after three-straight losses.

“Still not the start we wanted but it’s still early; we have 30 games to go. I am sure we can’t say Waterhouse already win the league or can say a Dunbeholden can go on and win the league. It’s three games in and we have work to do, no doubt about that. and we will continue to work on the training ground and the things we need to work on,” said Gardner.

Teams

Portmore United — Benjamin Williams, Ryan Wellington, Osani Ricketts, Emelio Rousseau, Jahmal Posey, Andre Lewis, Tevin Shaw (Damian Williams 15th), Roshane Sharpe (Shai Smith 63rd), Hardley Barnes (Chivaldi Edwards 69th), Rondee Smith, Cory Burke

Subs not used: Shaven Sean Paul, Romaine Breakenridge, Earon Elliott, Romaine Bowers, Shai Smith

Booked: Rousseau (23rd), Lewis (57th), Burke (89th)

Dunbeholden — Giovanni Smith, Shaquille Dyer, Kevin Reid, Andre Dyce, Saneekie Burton (Anthoney Thompson 75th), Shevan James, Atapharoy Bygrave, Deanandre Thomas, Richard Anderson (Andre Williams 84th), Kemoy Cacarrurhers (Nickoy Christian 90th+2), Kemoy Atkinson

Subs not used: Eric Edwards, Maurice Mais, Alonzo Dubidad, Rodave Murray, Kemar Phillpotts

Booked: Dyer (25th), James (28th), Cacarrurhers (87th), Smith (90th+2), Reid (90th+4)

Referee: Okeito Nicholson

Assistant referees: Stephanie Dale Yeesing, Jassett Kerr

Fourth official: Kasa Plummer

Match commissary: Ainsley Sharpe