Champions Cavalier and Mount Pleasant renew their rivalry at Stadium East this evening at 4 p.m., while trying to make up ground in the Jamaica Premier League (JPL) table.
Mount Pleasant (57 points) are five points adrift of leaders Montego Bay United in second place, while sixth-placed Cavalier (45) are five behind fifth-placed Waterhouse.
Mount Pleasant defeated Cavalier for their only JPL title in 2023, while Cavalier turned the tables on the St Ann club the following two years, beating the big spenders in back-to-back finals.
This season Mount Pleasant have won the two meetings between them and will start favourites to claim a third.
Nevertheless, a win for either team would lift them to within two points of the team just ahead of them, while defeat will put them in jeopardy of losing their spot after the next round of games this weekend.
After three straight defeats, Cavalier beat Molynes 2-0 in their last match day, and assistant coach David Laylor said it’s important to keep getting maximum points, with Chapelton (43) breathing down their necks.
“We had to win the (Molynes) game, and we had to dig deep to win the game. We pretty much came out running and we got the three points,” he commented.
He noted also that it was their best performance for the last few games.
“We have teams behind us seeking points, namely, Chapelton. So we had to make sure we did the job here.”
He added that the younger players in the squad, such as Odane Wilberforce, Chad James and James Gallimore, are starting to come into their own and now the team has greater depth.
“That was the plan, to get the youngsters in the game. Wilberforce scored for us and it’s a good look. Now we have choices,” he added.
Mount Pleasant are now three games without a win, and with the fixtures coming quick and fast, assistant coach Davian Ferguson said they have to make the adjustments and get it right.
“The game against Police, we made some rotations, but we were not good enough and we lost that game.
“Today (Sunday against Racing United) we saw a different team, a different Mount Pleasant in terms of what we wanted to do; and if the game was 11 v 11, we would have had a better chance of getting three points.
“We have a short turnaround (for Cavalier game). The window is three games in seven days. There is not a lot to do on the pitch. We are trying to do a lot in terms of making the adjustments and trying to get the players in very good shape,” he said.
livingston.scott@gleanerjm.com
