Teams rush for places in Western Confed end of round final
FROME, Westmoreland — Two big games will highlight this weekend’s seventh round of matches as teams rev up their chase for places in the end-of-round finals of the Jamaica Football Federation Western Confederation/Charley’s JB Rum Super League.
Coopers Pen FC will travel to face FC Reno in a Zone Two top of the tables clash at Frome Sports Complex, while defending champions and Zone One leaders Faulkland FC will seek to widen their lead when they take on the inconsistent Falmouth United at Jarrett Park on Sunday — both games set to kick off at 3:00 pm.
Faulkland FC who are coming off a big 8-1 thrashing of George’s Plain FC on Sunday, leads Zone One with 14 points and is the only team yet to taste defeat. They are three points ahead of second-placed Montego Bay United with Falmouth United a point adrift in third place on 10 points.
Coopers Pen FC are on 11 points at the top of Zone Two, one more than FC Reno’s 10 points, with two teams, Wadadah FC and Sandals South Coast, on nine points each.
On Saturday, Wadadah FC and Hopewell United, both snapping long winless runs with wins last weekend, will meet at Wespow Park, and both will be hoping to move up in the rankings.
The other games on Sunday will see Montego Bay United taking on Super Star FC at Wespow Park; Sandals South Coast and Lilliput Rovers will meet at Crocs Lawn in Whitehouse, Westmoreland; while Harmony FC and George’s Plain FC will meet at Bounty Hall.
The fireworks are expected to come at Frome Sports Complex and Jarrett Park where the winners will take big strides towards a place in the lucrative consolation final.
FC Reno are coming off an upset loss to Hopewell United and will be hoping to avoid back-to-back losses as well as losing to Coopers Pen FC twice in the season.
Coopers Pen FC won the first-round game 1-0 and despite leading the zone, have only scored four goals in six games, but also have the best defensive record of any team in the league, conceding just once.
FC Reno with one of the youngest teams in the competition, have scored nine goals and the game will pit one of the best attacks against the best defence.
FC Reno will have the advantage of playing at home where they have yet to concede a goal, winning two and drawing the other game they have played there so far, while Coopers Pen FC have won twice away from home.
Falmouth United have flattered to deceive, so far scoring just five goals and conceding three, and will come up against a Faulkland FC team that are rounding into a powerful unit.
Faulkland FC managed a 0-0 draw away to Falmouth United in the first round, but have significantly boosted their team since the start of the January transfer window, adding ironically two players who had left for Falmouth United.
Both Jelani Nicholson and Radcliff Dawkins, who played for Falmouth United earlier this season, scored braces on their return to Faulkland FC on Sunday, and could face their former teammates this weekend.
The Falmouth United attack have been tepid all season, and could have won on Sunday against Montego Bay United but for sloppy finishing by Allan Ottey and Peter Campbell, both missing from point-blank range.