WATERHOUSE Football Club kept up their chase of Dunbeholden in the race for top spot after edging Molynes United 1-0 in a lukewarm Jamaica Premier League (JPL) encounter at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex on Monday.

Keithy Simpson’s ninth-minute penalty proved all important as Waterhouse not only extended their unbeaten run to five games but, more importantly, remained two points adrift of leaders Dunbeholden on 38 points.

Molynes United, who were being condemned to a second-consecutive defeat and ninth overall in 16 games this season, remain in 11th position on 14 points.

It was always expected to be an uphill task for Molynes United as they have been grappling with inconsistency issues, which were again on display during their shaky performance.

They offered very little at either end of the park, particularly in the first half, and in fact had Waterhouse to thank for that team’s poor decision-making and wayward shooting which spared them a wider margin of defeat.

The Drewsland-based Waterhouse started like a house on fire, with Denardo Thomas getting their very first shot on target from a distance, forcing Molynes United’s goalkeeper Peter Harrison into flight to tip over the crossbar.

However, Harrison had no answer to Simpson’s thumping right-footed drive from the 12-yard spot six minutes later, after Rushawn Plummer felled Andre Moulton inside the danger area.

Waterhouse maintained their stranglehold on the contest and should have doubled the lead on the half-hour mark but Denardo Thomas ignored the time and space he had and instead skied his one-time effort from Kymani Campbell’s weighted cross.

And it was like deja vu eight minutes later when Thomas turned provider with a decent cross in to Simpson who also went for the spectacular one-time effort which yielded a similar result.

The tempo of the game gradually lifted on the resumption, with both teams stringing together a few good build-ups in patches but subsequently had nothing to show for it.

Waterhouse again had the best of chances, especially in the closing stages of the game, but much like it was in the first half, they lacked quality in the final third. Substitute Cardel Benbow had the best of them, hitting an 80th-minute sitter over the crossbar from close range.

Still, winning Assistant Coach Daniel Bent welcomed the three points.

“I think we started really well and could have scored more goals because we created so many chances — but, [we] didn’t put them away. But I’m very pleased with the three points,” Bent reflected in a post-game interview.

His counterpart Andre Daley also lauded his team’s effort, despite the outcome.

“The youngsters gave it all they had. We know this would be a tough game because they are in the top half of the standings and we are trying to get there, but I think we gave a good account of ourselves and just have to go back to the training ground to fix some things,” Daley said.

Sunday’s results

Vere United 2, Arnett Gardens 1

Dunbeholden FC 3, Mount Pleasant FA 1

Tivoli Gardens 2, Montego Bay United 0

Humble Lions 1, Portmore United 0