Mount Pleasant Academy recorded their 20th victory of the Jamaica Premier League season with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Waterhouse at the Drax Hall Sports Complex on Thursday.

Daniel Green netted the all-important goal for the Theodore “Tappa” Whitmore-coached Mount Pleasant outfit in the second minute of the game.

Mount Pleasant Academy leads the standings with 65 points from 27 games, having recorded five draws and two defeats this season.

Whitmore expressed satisfaction with his team’s efforts, particularly their ability to keep a clean sheet.

“I am happy because this is another win and another objective met. We wanted to win the game, we wanted to keep a clean sheet, and I think we did that,” he said. “We started well and we somewhat took our feet off the pedal, but, overall, I think it was a decent performance from us.”

The victory was Mount Pleasant’s third straight over Waterhouse this season; however, according to Whitmore, his focus is always on securing three points, regardless of the opponent.

“Any team that we play against we want to get the three points, so it doesn’t really matter who the opponent is. It is always about the next one, and this afternoon [Thursday], it was Waterhouse. Now, we will move on to the next one on Sunday against Dunbeholden,” he expressed.

Meanwhile, Waterhouse Head Coach Marcell Gayle admitted that, while his team played well, poor execution in the final third cost them a better result.

“I think it was an overall good performance from us because I just thought we made one mistake, and it cost us the game,” Gayle said.

“I think that [poor finishing] has affected us all season, but I am not taking anything away from the game because I thought we played well and we executed the tactics the way we wanted to. But, again, in the final third, we were a bit poor, and it is something that we need to work on going forward,” he added.

The defeat was Waterhouse’s 10th of the season, leaving them sixth in the standings with 37 points from 27 games.

Green gave Mount Pleasant a dream start when he dribbled past two defenders and fired beyond Waterhouse goalkeeper Akeem Bernard in just the second minute of the match.

The lively Green came close to doubling his tally minutes later, but his 12-yard effort went wide of the target. Mount Pleasant Academy continued to create several clear-cut chances in the first half, but poor finishing let them down.

Waterhouse’s best scoring opportunity in the first half fell to Andre Fletcher, but his weak shot from 10 yards went straight into the hands of custodian Shaquan Davis.

Waterhouse came out with more confidence in the second half, dominating possession, but despite their efforts they failed to find the equaliser.