MOUNT Pleasant Football Academy maintained their perfect start to the 2022 Jamaica Premier League (JPL) season with a 4-0 beating of Montego Bay United to make it four wins in as many games.

Mount Pleasant FA proved too hot to handle for Montego Bay United, much like the opening contest of the double-header where league-leaders Waterhouse outclassed Portmore United 4-0 in what turned out to be a goal-fest Sunday at the UWI-JFF Captain Horace Burrell Centre of Excellence.

All four goals for the St Ann-based team came in the first half courtesy of Daniel Green (11th), Sue-Lae McCalla (22nd), former Arnett Gardens player Donovan Segree (35th), and Cleon Pryce (42nd).

With the win Mount Pleasant kept pace with Waterhouse on 12 points, with only one goal separating them. For Montego Bay United the heavy defeat saw them slipping to ninth in the 12-team standing on three points.

Mount Pleasant wasted very little time settling into their game and, after firing a few warning shots to signal their intention, Montego Bay United failed to take heed and were later made to pay the price.

Green opened the scoring when he fended off a defender to make space for a well-struck right-footer that gave goalkeeper Darrien Tummings no chance.

Young Devonte Campbell had an opportunity to double the lead five minutes later but fired his left-footed effort wide from deep inside the 18-yard box.

Still, Montego Bay United offered very little resistance and so it was only a matter of time before Mount Pleasant found another, and it came as McCalla was allowed too much space in the box to fire wide left of Tummings.

With it basically being open season on Montego Bay United’s defence, left back Segree got in on the action as his left-footed drive brushed a defender and caught the hapless Tummings going the wrong way.

And when Alwayne Harvey’s pass across the face of goal was slotted in by Pryce to make it 4-0 at the break, not only was the writing on the wall for Montego Bay United but Mount Pleasant seemed set for a record scoreline.

However, those expectations fell flat as Montego Bay United showed more fight on the resumption, pulling a few good build-ups together in patches though failing to make it count in the final third, while Mount Pleasant seemed content with the scoreline and merely went through the motions for the remainder of the contest.

Winning Coach Wally Downes expressed pleasure at his team’s performance, though they failed to build on their lead in the second half.

“It [not building on lead] is not the biggest problem I have ever had in football so I am pretty happy with the performance. We attacked with pace and in numbers and our finishing was fantastic today [Sunday]. But, we will review this game and prepare for the next one to come,” Downes said in a post-game interview.

His counterpart Ricky Hill rued his team’s ‘no show’ in the first half.

“I am quite happy that we had a better second half but disappointed with how we lost. What I am disappointed about is the fact that we lost shape, we lost concentration and focus, we lost everything we have been working on in training,” Hill noted.

Teams: Mount Pleasant FA — Akel Clarke, Ladale Richie, Sue-Lae McCalla, Alwayne Harvey (Ricardo Morris 75th), Liston James (Joel Powell 62nd), Donovan Segree (Dahmani Miller 86th), Kevin Layne, Kevaughn Isaacs, Devonte Campbell (Tyrese Gowe 62nd), Daniel Green, Cleon Pryce (Kesslon Hall 62nd)

Subs not used: David Swaby, Sajay Anderson, Jahmarley Bennett, Shaquan Davis

Booked: Layne (60th)

Montego Bay United — Darrien Tummings, Renaldo Wellington, Giovannie Reid, Kemar Beckford (Renardo Wellington 34th), Jevaun Shepherd, Tavin Shaw (Shandee Brooks 84th), Troy Nosworthy (Ladrick Haughton 47th), Odane Nish, Ewan Barton, Devarow McKenzie (Rasheed Brown 84th), Ricardo Dixon

Subs not used: Davonnie Burton, Nevaun Turner, Rodcliff Dawkins, Philip Eubanks, Tavane Kerr

Booked: Beckford (32nd)

Referee: Alex Perry

Assistant referees: Jassett Kerr-Wilson, Richard Washington

Fourth official: Okeito Nicholson

Match commissary: Deloris Williamson

— Sherdon Cowan