KINGSTON, Jamaica — Mt Pleasant FA have a slender lead over Portmore United after they won their Jamaica Premier League first leg semi-final game 1-0 on Sunday at the National Stadium.

A second half goal from substitute Warner Brown gave Mt Pleasant the lead going into Wednesday’s return leg, but a controversial decision a few minutes earlier by referee Okeito Nicholson, to disallow a goal by Portmore, briefly threatened to upstage the game.

After a goal-less first half, Portmore thought they had taken the lead when Reggae Boy Corey Burke shook off two defenders on the left wing, dribbled inside the 18 yard box and fired a shot past goalkeeper Shaquan Davis in the 70th minute.

The ball came off the underside of the crossbar and Mt Pleasant’s Kimoni Bailey cleared the ball away but Nicholson ruled that Burke had scored before overturning his decisions a few minutes later after consulting with his assistants.

As if to rub salt in their wounds, Mt Pleasant then took the lead after Raheem Edwards’ attempt from the top of the 18 yard box only bounced a few yards to Brown who turned nicely past a defender and buried the shot in the 81st minute.
-Paul A Reid