As far as season openers go, the stage was perfectly set for the final game of match day one in the Jamaica Premier League at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex Monday night.

Two quality teams in Arnett Gardens and Cavalier were set to compete in the seventh and final game and it was expected to be a blockbuster.

Despite the showers earlier in the day, the fans turned out in their numbers for the 7:30pm kick off and were treated to yet another classic encounter between the two clubs.

Cavalier have enjoyed some amount of success against Arnett and with recent history suggesting that the odds could be in their favour, they would have thought they were on their way to victory when Christopher Ainsworth put them ahead in the 55th minute of the match.

But unlike last season where Cavalier came away with the win in the equivalent encounter, the hosts were able to respond, firstly through Ajuma Johnson who leveled things with a free kick in the 69th minute and then through substitute and debutant, Revaldo Mitchell who scored the winner with virtually the last kick of the game.

Arnett head coach Paul “Tegat” Davis admitted that his club had seen the game as a revenge match.

“They beat us last season, the first game of the season, so this was a grudge game, and this was something we sat and spoke about, that we wanted to win this game and get rid of this jinx.”

He was very happy for the win considering the quality of the opposition and their play on the night.

“I am really pleased because we played against a well-coached, organised team. These guys know when to go, when to go back.”

Davis thought that, tactically, Arnett Gardens got things spot on, except for the momentary loss in concentration that led to the Cavalier goal.

“We planned it out the right way. Stay behind the ball and try and catch them when we can catch them. But it’s just unfortunate that we went down 1-0, I think foolishly, but that is football.”

He hailed the impact of the substitutes including Mitchell, who he thought helped to change the game in their favour and eventually gain the victory.

“The changes that we made when we took out Fabian (Reid) and Damari (Deacon), we brought in the two young kids and they brought life to the game, more attacking, more dynamics to the game which built the players momentum.”

With relegation from the top flight now back on the table, Davis thinks that this season will be a very interesting one.

“This is a critical season because we have relegation. Every team is going to come hard. I see a lot of teams have done a lot of shopping, so it’s going to be a nice, nice season, but game by game we are ready for the task,” he promised.