DESPITE having six regular starters away with the national men’s senior team for their friendly international against Martinique on Saturday, three-time finalists Mount Pleasant FA will play their rescheduled Jamaica Premier League first-round game against Harbour View at the Harbour View stadium today, starting at 3:30 pm.

Under FIFA regulations, any club team with five or more players on national duties can have games postponed, but the game that was set for yesterday will go ahead today.

First-choice goalkeeper Tafari Chambers, defenders Kyle Ming and Fitzroy Cummings, and attacking players Warner Brown, Daniel Green and Raheem Edwards are the Mt Pleasant players, who are away with the Reggae Boyz.

Despite the absence of the players, the St Ann team will still start favourites to win and move two places into second behind leaders Montego Bay United.

After back-to-back 0-0 draws against Treasure Beach FC, Mount Pleasant hammered Dunbeholden FC 4-0 at Drax Hall on Sunday and their squad should be deep enough to see them get by Harbour View, who are struggling in the relegation zone.

Harbour View were edged 1-0 by fellow relegation zone team Spanish Town Police, who missed a first-half penalty, as both teams ended with just 10 players.

The “Stars of the east” have won once in their last 15 games and have picked up just five points in their last 12, and the hiring of the veteran Coach Lenworth Hyde, the third person to call the shots from the sidelines this season, has so far not brought a change of fortunes.

Mt Pleasant FA on the other end have lost once in their last 12 outings and have climbed the tables since winning the Concacaf Caribbean Cup, after struggling to find traction at the start of the Jamaica Premier League season.

Shaqueil Bradford and Alex Marshall, who both came off the bench to score on Sunday, and new signing and former Harbour View player Cristojaye Daley, who started Sunday’s game, will be expected to carry the attack against a Harbour View defence that has given up 40 goals in 21 games played.

Harbour View’s Lenworth Hyde (Photo: Garfield Robinson)