TREASURE Beach FC returned to the Jamaica Premier League at the first opportunity, after they were relegated at the end of last season, while Spanish Town Police are first- time qualifiers 48 years after they were formed.

The two teams will replace the Clarendon pair of Vere United and Humble Lion who were relegated from the JPL.

Treasure Beach and Spanish Town Police had close wins over Meadforest FC and Falmouth United, respectively, in their Jamaica Football Championship two-legged semi-finals that ended on Saturday.

Treasure Beach of St Elizabeth edged Meadforest FC of Kingston and St Andrew 1-0 after winning Saturday’s return leg at Breds Sports Complex. Treasure Beach had held Meadforest 0-0 while playing with 10 men for most of the first-leg semi-final.

Spanish Town Police of St Catherine overturned a first-leg 0-1 deficit against visitors Falmouth United of Trelawny to win 5-4 in sudden death penalties at Prison Oval.

Both Treasure Beach, the only unbeaten team in the competition, and Spanish Town Police, were runners-up in their respective zones.

Treasure Beach won with defence, ending the season with six straight clean sheets and 11 over the course of the season.

“It’s a phenomenal feeling. We have been consistent all season… the mood was really good. The boys understood what we needed to get the job done,” said Coach Kemar Ricketts.

If they are to avoid a second ‘one and done’ season in the JPL, he said the “club needs to have a stabilised structure — from management to players — in order to stay up”. He added that “everything must be done strategically”.

Stanley Gardner, a pivotal member of Spanish Town Police’s history who has grown from being a player to becoming a coach, told the Jamaica Observer his team achieved a major goal after winning the most under-17 and division two titles in St Catherine.

“It is our time now,” he said.

He said the club’s team was formed in 1977 “to give the youngsters something to do and take them off the streets”.

Spanish Town Police were promoted to the Jamaica Football Championship this season and have lost just once in their last 10 games — the first-leg, semi-final slip against Falmouth.

“We knew we could beat Falmouth United. We had our chances in the first game, we hit the bar a few times, so we knew we had a chance coming home, and the players were positive as well,” he explained.

Gardner was under no illusion about what they are to expect in the JPL.

“The premier league is very competitive and a higher level of football. We are going to have to go into the transfer market and get better, more experienced players to challenge those teams, but we will be ready.

At Breds Sports Complex on Saturday, Meadforest FC, who ended the game with 10 players after Tevoy Coldspring was sent off in time added, failed to score yet again.

Treasure Beach got their lifeline back to the JPL through Ferron Messam who scored his third goal of the season in the 35th minute.

After both teams wasted good scoring chances in their first leg at the Trelawny Multipurpose Stadium a week earlier, it took a mistake by Falmouth United goalkeeper Tevin Gordon to turn things around at Prison Oval.

Spanish Town Police, who had been playing with 10 men from the eighth minute when Shayiem Barracks was sent off, were gifted a goal in the 39th minute. Gordon allowed the ball to slip from his grasp into the path of Chevin Walters who made no mistake, firing into the open goal.

When extra time failed to separate the teams it was down to penalties, but after one miss each they were tied at 4-4.

Spanish Town Police’s goalkeeper John-Michael Edwards then saved a kick from Falmouth United’s Nichulous Samuels, following which Jermaine Brown stepped up to score the winner for Spanish Town Police.