Harbour View FC’s Jamaica Premier League title-winning coach Ludlow Bernard believes this season’s four semi-finalists would have been satisfied with the first-leg results. But he expects a different tactical approach for the second legs on Sunday.

Champions Mount Pleasant Academy and Waterhouse played out a 1-1 result at Sabina Park last Sunday, while in the opening game of the double-header, last year’s runners-up Cavalier and Arnett Gardens also shared two goals. It was a similar story in the first-leg play-offs when matches between Tivoli Gardens vs Waterhouse and Portmore vs Arnett Gardens both ended 1-1.

Bernard, who guided Harbour View to the league title in 2022, says while all the teams set out to gain an advantage, match circumstances forced them to accept the result.

“Cavalier being the stronger defensive team in my opinion I think would have been satisfied to maintain the stalemate for as long as possible without having to consider some sort of action if Arnett were to go ahead. Arnett would have still maintained their push to gain an ascendency, but I think towards the latter part, both teams would have been content to see out the game. Arnett, especially without Fabian [Reid], would have just been content to see out the game and would go for it in the second leg,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

“The thing with Waterhouse [is], physically they are not as strong as the other teams. They have multiple injuries and fitness issues so I think they would have been disappointed that they didn’t go 2-0 up. But at the same time, Mount Pleasant would have been pressing and probing but Waterhouse remained resolute and organised defensively so as the game wore on, I think both teams [were] content again to settle for the 1-1 [outcome] and not push too many bodies forward,” Bernard added.

It will be all to play for in the semi-final second legs on Sunday at Sabina Park. Mount Pleasant are to face Waterhouse at 5:00 pm while Cavalier are to battle Arnett at 8:00 pm.

Despite Mount Pleasant and Cavalier being the two best teams in the country as per the league standings, Bernard says it won’t be a clear-cut path to the final.

“The pressure could also be on Mount Pleasant [where] a lot of investment has taken place. They are the defending champions, they have a very big [fan] following, so there’s a lot of expectation for them, and they have serious ambitions to progress in local football. So, losing out would certainly be a dent in their progress.

“Waterhouse, on the other hand, could see themselves as the proverbial giant-killer and that could be sufficient enough for them to… go for it. But they’ll have to do it early [in the first half] because I’ve seen where they’ve faded out of games in recent times,” he said.

“Arnett are going to come out all guns blazing in attack. Cavalier by now should be quite ready to take on their kind of game which is strong in defence and counter attacking between [Dwayne] Atkinson and [Jalmaro] Calvin. If they can get it right and get it early, I think it would be very difficult for Arnett to get back. But the key to Arnett is the presence [of] Fabian Reid; he’s very lethal and potent and has a lot of influence on the game,” added Bernard.

If the teams remain tied after 90 minutes, extra time and possibly penalties will be used to decide the winners.