CATHERINE HALL, St James — Dunbeholden FC slipped up in the three-way race for the last playoff spot in the J Wray and Nephew Jamaica Premier League, after they were edged 1-0 by contenders Waterhouse in their return round game played at Waterhouse Mini Stadium on Sunday.

The win for Waterhouse and a 2-1 come-from-behind victory for Montego Bay United over Molynes United at the Montego Bay Sports Complex, saw both winners improve to 37 points, tied for sixth place, while Dunbeholden, with back-to-back losses, are in eighth place on 34 points.

Defending champions Mt Pleasant FA meanwhile moved to within a point of securing a bye in the next round with 53 points, after beating Arnett Gardens 2-0 at Drax Hall.

Cavalier SC are in second place with 48 points, three more than Tivoli Gardens who has a game in hand, with Arnett Gardens and Portmore United also on 45 points.

Javane Bryan’s 45th-minute goal was the difference in the game between Waterhouse and Dunbeholden as the winners avenged a first-round 2-1 loss.

Montego Bay United who are on an eight-game unbeaten run and have won their last three, recovered from going behind to beat Molynes United, reversing the first-round result.

Molynes United ended the game with 10 players after Tyrique Wilson, who was a second-half substitute, was sent off in time added on after coach Jermaine Thomas was also given marching orders by referee Christopher Mason.

Molynes United, who are playing for pride after avoiding relegation but cannot qualify for the play-offs, went ahead in the 13th minute when Jason Wright stroked home a penalty kick after Darnell Hospedales fouled Shemaro Dennis inside the 18-yard box.

Johan Weatherly pulled Montego Bay United level in the 26th minute when he finished off a good team move, thumping the ball home from close range after goalkeeper Peter Harrison was left stranded at the right goal post.

Montego Bay United took the lead in the 69th minute when Jean Claudio Rios Ferreira scored from the penalty spot after Owayne Gordon was dragged down inside the penalty area by Jermy Nelson.

Montego Bay United’s coach Neider Dos Santos said the game proved to be a “difficult one” between his team that had all to play for against a team with “nothing to lose”.

He told Observer Online, “For Molynes, win, lose or draw this match won’t change their situation but for us, it can change so it is difficult.”

Conceding early was not on the cards for the home team, dos Santos said, “But our players kept the mindset, they did not panic, even in the first half, we could have scored two or three, we miss two or three” claimed, “We came for the second half and we settled to win the match. We did not play a shiny, shiny football, but at that stage, we have to be competitive, and those players displayed that competitiveness.”

Jermaine Miller, the Molynes United assistant coach, said they came out to win the game, no matter their position in the tables.

“Every game is important so we came out here with a strong mindset to win the game and we started out very well,” he said. He added that “the officiating was very, very poor.”

He did, however, concede that they did not convert their scoring chances, “That’s football, sometimes you create chances and finish them and that’s football. You have to try to convert as many as possible and we did not do that today.”

Mt Pleasant all but made sure they would book a semi-final spot after a 2-0 win over Arnett Gardens with Daniel Green scoring a brilliant free kick in the ninth minute and Oquassa Chong adding a second in time added at the end of the second half.

Cavalier SC ran roughshod over relegation-bound Treasure Beach 5-0 at St Elizabeth Technical with goals from Ronaldo Barrett in the 12th minute,  Kyle Ming in the 15th, Jalmaro Calvin in the 38th, Jeovanni Laing in the 59t and Shaquille Stein in the 80th minute.

Dean Andre Thomas scored in time added on in the first game at Drax Hall as Vere United scored an upset 1-0 win over Portmore United.