It was another blood and thunder contest between neighbours and rivals Arnett Gardens and Tivoli Gardens in the Red Stripe Premier League on Sunday at Anthony Spaulding Sorts Complex.

Despite being forced to play the last half-hour of the game with just nine players, Arnett Gardens were able to hang on for a point in the 1-1 draw and their Head Coach Alex Thomas was pleased with the resilience shown by his players.

“I am pleased in a sense; we went down to nine men and we stuck with it and we fought. The players worked hard, they worked their socks off and praises must go to them.”

For Thomas, it was a case of two points dropped, but the fight must continue, he noted.

“We wanted to get all three points, but unfortunately we never did; we got a point and that’s a plus just the same. We have to keep fighting; our next game is on Thursday [today] against UWI. We have to go there and get all three points there and move up in the table,” he said.

The Arnett man believes poor officiating cost him and his team on Sunday.

“I would say poor officiating by the referee, two red cards down, but we have to fix the team and still work, as I said before, praises to them,” Thomas noted.

He also had high praises for his goalscorer on the night, Kemal Malcolm, who continues to get the job done up front for Arnett Gardens.

“He is our top striker, he has been doing it in training, he works hard in training, so we see the work that took place in the game… he is doing well for himself,” Thomas said.

Malcolm’s goal took him up to nine for the season and Thomas believes that the former St George’s College star is indeed in contention for the golden boot.

“I fancy him being in the golden boot race, he is humble, calm, he set himself goals and he is ready, he will get the golden boot,” the relative new coach stated.

Dean Andre Thomas of Dunbeholden FC currently leads the golden boot race with 12 goals.

Arnett Gardens are currently on the bubble for play-off football, sitting in sixth position on goal difference, while tied on 35 points with Dunbeholden FC who are currently in fifth.

They also lead Tivoli Gardens, but by a mere two points. Despite the closeness of the race for the play-off positions, Thomas is confident Arnett Gardens will be in the reckoning come the end of the regular season.

“We ae very confident, but we have to keep working, we have to stay together as a unit and look at our mistakes and come back and keep fixing and keep working and we will be there in the top six,” he said.

But the task of making the play-offs was dealt a huge blow with the departure of one of their key players for the last five seasons, Vishinul Harris, to another top-six contender, Humble Lion FC.

Despite the loss of Harris, Thomas believes that the players who remain at the club have what it takes to get the job done.

“Vishinul Harris is a quality player, but he has moved on, so it’s life, it happens all over the world…we have to move on. Other players will step up to the task. As you can see, young Romeo Guthrie stepped up since he got the chance to start and he is doing well for himself,” Thomas ended.

— Dwayne Richards