Waterhouse Football Club secured their first win of the season when they blanked Dunbeholden FC 2-0 in their Jamaica Premier League game at the JFF-UWI/Captain Horace Burrell Centre of Excellence in Saturday’s second game.
Ramone Howell opened the scoring in the 66th minute and substitute Shaquille Bradford put the icing on the cake with a wonderful strike in time added on in the 90th+1 minute.
Waterhouse, who were runners-up in the last league season, jumped to the top of the league with four points, the same as Mount Pleasant Football Academy but with a better goal difference.
St Catherine-based Dunbeholden, of whom a lot is expected because of their transfers this season, are at the bottom of the league pointless from their two games.
It was a deserved win for Waterhouse who also had the ball in the back of the net in the first half courtesy of Roshane Sharpe but it was controversially ruled out for offside by referee Steffon Dewar.
Dunbeholden also had the ball in the net and it too was controversially ruled out for offside.
But Waterhouse would not be denied and the combination of the two brothers Kenroy and Ramone Howell, broke the deadlock.
Just after the hour mark Ramone collected a pass from his brother Kenroy and his goal-bound effort from just outside the box took a wicked deflection and wrong-footed goalkeeper Damion Hyatt.
It was the second consecutive game that Hyatt was left stranded in goal resulting from a deflection that gave him no chance.
Substitute Colorado Murray headed just wide for Waterhouse in the 82nd minute but Waterhouse left the best for last as the former Camperdown High star Shaquille Bradford scored arguably the goal of the season so far.
From a Dunbeholden attacking freekick, Bradford picked up the ball well inside his half and on the counter attack, Waterhouse had three players to just one for Dunbeholden but Bradford needed no help.
He dribbled all the way and with lone defender Shaquille Dyer back-pedalling, Bradford fired a powerful shot that flew past the bewildered Hyatt in goal off the underside of the crossbar in the 90th+1 and sealed the victory for Waterhouse.
Midfielder Shevon Stewart of Waterhouse was adjudged Man-of-the-Match and he was happy.
“For the rest of the season I am really just expecting to go in all the games with the same performance basically to win and come out with three points,” said Stewart.
Waterhouse’s assistant coach Damion Gordon was also pleased with their first win, a comprehensive one.
“We got a good display today and hopefully we can continue like this,” said Gordon, a former Tivoli Gardens player.
Dunbeholden’s assistant coach Ricardo Smith was left despondent once again with his team’s performance for the second week running.
“We didn’t want to be in a position like this but we just have to work and come again,” Smith noted.
“There are some things we have to change and we are going to work on it on the training pitch and see what happens,” he added.
Teams: Dunbeholden — 40-Damion Hyatt, 03-Andre Dyce, 33-Shaquille Dyer, 13-Shevan James, 23-Nickoy Christian, 21-Shakeen Powell (17-Atapharoy Bygrave 75th), 35-Mark Miller, 10-Rodave Murray (12-Kimoni Bailey 65th), 08-Johann Weatherly, 22-Rondee Smith (25-Javaughn Cole 75th), 24-Saneekie Burton.
Subs not used: 32-Williams Benjamin, 04-Maurice Mais, 16-Kemoy Atkinson, 28-Deandre Johnson.
Coach: Curtis Hamilton
Booked: Andre Dyce 87th
Waterhouse — 01-Akeem Chambers, 16-Kymani Campbell, 15-Andre Fletcher, (21-Damion Binns 76th), 10-Kenroy Howell (27-Andre Leslie 90th+5), 08-Nicholy Finlayson, 26-Ramone Howell, 13-Ricardo Thomas, 28-Shawn Dewar, 55-Shevon Stewart (22-Colorado Murray 64th), 20-Denardo Thomas, 35-Roshane Sharpe (18-Shaquille Bradford 64th).
Subs not used: 40-Zemioy Nash, 06-David Edwards, 19-Jahvon James, 37-Rafeik Thomas.
Coach: Marcel Gayle
Booked: Ramone Howell 38th
Referee: Steffon Dewar
Assistant Referee 1: Richard Washington
Assistant Referee 2: Melvin Reid
Fourth Official: O’Haro Headley
Match Commissioner: Fitzroy Reid
