CAVALIER FC returned to winning ways in emphatic fashion as they blanked Arnett Gardens FC 3-0 in an eventually lopsided Jamaica Premier League (JPL) affair at the UWI-JFF Captain Horace Burrell Centre of Excellence on Saturday.

After being edged 0-1 by Dunbeholden last week, Cavalier FC knew it would take a special performance to get by Arnett Gardens who entered the contest with their tails high after a come-from-behind 2-1 win over Humble Lion.

However, they were made to wait until the second half to come alive, with St Lucían Melvin Doxilly (63rd) splitting goals from former Jamaica College striker Shaniel Thomas who popped up in the 59th and 79th minutes to open his account for the truncated season, powered by Digicel.

The win saw Cavalier jumping from fifth to the top of the standing, provisionally on seven points, while Arnett Gardens remain eighth on three points.

After playing out a goalless first half in which they were forced into a defensive posture by a rampant Arnett Gardens who were quick and solid out the blocks, Cavalier came into their own to make a game of it on the resumption.

Though Arnett Gardens continued to boss possession, Cavalier orchestrated a few good build-ups and almost found the opener seven minutes in, but the usually composed and reliable Dwayne “Busy” Atkinson skied a clear-cut effort after being picked out by Ronaldo Webster.

Arnett Gardens responded in the 58th minute, and it took some brilliance from goalkeeper Jeadine White diving full stretch to his right to deny Hardley Barnes from a distance.

The deadlock was eventually broken a minute to the hour mark when Webster went on the break and this time picked out Thomas, who made no mistake from close range.

With that goal literally knocking the wind out of the “Junglists”, the true flare and fluency of the youthful and exciting Cavalier unit shone through and they quickly doubled the lead four minutes later, with Webster again at the forefront of the attack.

The former St Elizabeth Technical and Wolmer’s Boys’ stalwart went on a tidy run and created space to get a shot off which came back off the upright and stood up nicely for Doxilly to acrobatically finish.

By then Arnett Gardens were basically running on fumes and Cavalier duly capitalised with a marauding passage of play which resulted in Thomas arriving late to slot home a rebound after Atkinson’s initial effort was blocked.

Rudolph Speid’s side continued its probe to boost the tally, but faulty shooting and lack of compsure proved its undoing.

Cavalier did put the ball in the back of the net a fourth time, but what would have been Thomas’s hat-trick goal was ruled offside.

Teams

Arnett Gardens – Chadeem Rodrigues, Oshane Roberts, Ezran Simpson Jr, Marlon Martin(Deshawn Bernard 80th), Hardley Barnes(Rushike Kelson 65th), Romeo Guthrie, Luca Kung, Donovan Segree, Jonoy Cunningham, Renaldo Cephas, Steve Clarke(Damari Deacon 65th)

Subs not used: Kemoy Slowley, Shaquan Davis, Daniel Clarke, Earl Simpson

Booked: Cunningham (71st), Segree (89th)

Cavalier FC – Jeadine White, Jeovanni Laing, Richard King, Ronaldo Webster(Courtney Allen 85th), Melvin Doxilly, Nickache Murray(Kamoy Simpson 66th), Dwayne Atkinson, Ajay Chin(Collin Anderson 66th), Gadial Irving(Bryan English 66th), Kyle Ming, Shaniel Thomas(Christopher Ainsworth 89th)

Subs not used: Lamonth Rochester, Jamar Purcell

Booked: None

Referee: Steffon Dewar

Assistant referees: Rolonzo Bennett, Yvette Stephenson

Fourth official: Carvel Banton

Match commissary: Fitzroy Reid