MOUNT Pleasant FA’s Head Coach Theodore Whitmore was pleased with his team’s overall performance in a one-sided, 5-0 romp over Humble Lion, in their first-against-last-placed Jamaica Premier League second-round game played at Montego Bay Sports Complex on Monday.

Daniel Green’s hat-trick was the highlight of the encounter but Whitmore was impressed with a well-taken goal by teenager Jabari Howell, describing the left-footed strike from well outside the area as “classic”.

The win, Mt Pleasant’s 18th from 24 games and their 14th in the last 15 games, saw them move to 58 points, seven more than second-placed Arnett Gardens.

“The best part of the game today was keeping a clean sheet, how we kept possession of the ball; we moved around the ball this afternoon and we scored some goals,” Whitmore told the Jamaica Observer.

He was also very pleased with what he saw from several of the younger players in the group.

“We have a Jahmarie Nolan, we have Earl Dennis and Owen Jumpp — who were all on the national Under-17 team — and each time we put them out there they show that they want to be a part of the team,” said Whitmore.

It was a different story for Humble Lion’s Alex Thomas, however, who watched helplessly as a number of his players had to be substituted because of injuries, and also saw the game being stopped several times while his players sough medical attention.

“We were up against a quality team, the top team in the league, and they are on a momentum. And we knew this was going to be a tough one but, nevertheless, the players knew they could not show too much respect — at the end of the day we just can’t come and show too much respect against a Mount Pleasant team,” Thomas analysed.

All was not lost, however, and Thomas said they have to take whatever positives they can from the game.

“We have to learn from our mistakes, positive or negative. We have to build for the next game.”

Mount Pleasant wasted little time in getting the lead, with Green scoring after just four minutes, beating goalkeeper Peter Harrison low to his left.

The St Ann team were 2-0 up in the 24th minute when Green buried a penalty after a defender handled the ball just outside the six-yard box.

Alex Marshall, who replaced Shaquille Bradford at the start of the second half, made it 3-0 in the 58th minute with a sweet left-footed volley from the right side of the Humble Lion penalty area.

Teenager Jabari Howell introduced himself to the football public when his powerful shot from outside the 18-yard box took a deflection and flew past Harrison in the 82nd minute.

Green completed his hat-trick two minutes later when he was sent through down the middle of the Humble Lion defence and slotted home easily.