Substitutes Dwayne “Busy” Atkinson and Courtney Allen scored as Cavalier FC blanked Humble Lions 2-0 during their Jamaica Premier League (JPL) at The University of the West Indies (UWI) Captain Horace Burrell Centre of Excellence yesterday.

The 19-year-old Atkinson, who came on in the 46th minute, fired home in the 77th minute, while Courtney Allen, who joined the action in the 71st, sealed the deal in the (90+2) to secure all three points for Cavalier.

With the win, Cavalier took an early lead atop the league, powered by Digicel, after Mount Pleasant and Tivoli Gardens earlier played out a goalless stalemate.

Prior to the start of the league, Cavalier’s Technical Director Rudolph Speid promised that his young but talented bunch would prove a handful for their more experienced opponents in the shortened season, and Humble Lions were first up to feel their wrath.

Relishing the underfoot feel of the artificial surface at the facility, the youthful Cavalier team was tricky and slippery as they used their pace and fitness to good effect in wearing down Humble Lions’ defence.

They fired their first warning shot in the 28th minute when Bryan English struck a right-footed effort from a distance that went just over the crossbar.

Humble Lions replied a minute later and could have found the lead had former national representative Vishinul Harris not steered a sitter wide of the right upright under no real pressure.

With the score remaining goalless at the break, Cavalier came out boiling on the resumption and had a grand opportunity to find the lead five minutes in.

English went on a menacing run down the left channel before playing in a cross to Shaniel Thomas, who had enough time and space to set and fire home, instead the former Jamaica College stalwart hit a one-time left-footed effort wide.

Just like his moniker suggests, Atkinson immediately got busy upon entry, as he went on a blistering run down the left channel and released a dangerous pass across the face of goal, but English couldn’t arrive at the far post in time to tap in.

The Cavalier outfit continued to press their more experienced counterparts in a good passage of play and inevitably broke the deadlock when Atkinson’s right-footed effort from a distance took a deflection and flew past a diving Dennis Taylor in goal for Humble Lions.

Try as they may, Humble Lions were presented very little opportunity to look at Cavalier’s goal and that was evident in the 80th minute when Harris picked up a ball in the 18-yard box, but was quickly closed down by four Cavalier players charging in.

And, with the Humble Lions defenders virtually running on fumes, Allen picked up a ball deep in the attacking third and rounded the advancing Taylor to easily tap in a left-footed effort from an angle.

Atkinson was over the moon about getting his team off the mark.

“It’s a great feeling to score the first goal of the new season and also help my team to victory, so I just want to remain focus and do what I am suppose to do,” the former Kingston College striker shared.

For Humble Lions Head Coach Andrew Price, the better-prepared team won.

“We were rusty and fatigue set in, [and] we played against a Cavaliers team that is a younger and fitter bunch and we just had a few training sessions coming into this game. So we are going to have to play ourselves into condition,” said Price.

Teams: Cavalier FC — Jeadine White, Richard King, Ronaldo Webster, Melvin Doxilly, Kamoy Simpson, Nickache Murray (Jeovanni Laing 87th), Gadial Irving (Ajay Chin 46th), Kyle Ming, Collin Anderson (Dwayne Atkinson 46th), Bryan English (Cleo Clarke 87th), Shaniel Thomas (Courtney Allen 71st)

Subs not used: St Michael Edwards, Lambeth Rochester

Booked: Simpson (21st), Irving (44th)

Humble Lions — Dennis Taylor, Shemar Rhoden, Gregory Lewis (Hugh Howell 19th), Kemar Drake, Linval Lewis, Vishinul Harris, Andrew Vanzie, Lorenzo Lewin (Leonardo Jibbison 70th), Levaughn Williams, Mark Rodney (Hughan Gray 70th), Javane Thompson(Romeo Wright 67th)

Subs not used: Mikhail Harrison, Courtney Hill

Booked: Rodney (58th), Wright (71st), Vanzie (80th, 90+3 red), Harris (82nd)

Referee: Odette Hamilton

Assistant Referees: Stephanie Yee Sing, Jermaine Yee Sing

Fourth Official: O’Hara Headley

Match Commissary: James Pearson

Cavalier FC………..2

Atkinson (77th), Allen (90+2)

Humble Lions FC…0

— Sherdon Cowan