Don't Crown Portmore United Champions Just Yet!

With two rounds and 16 games left to be played in the Red Stripe Premier League(RSPL) Competition, league leaders and First-End-Of-Round Champions, Portmore United are without a doubt, odds on favourite to lift the title.  A five point gap atop the lead and an armoury full of young talented players are the factors that favour the St. Catherine based outfit; but is that enough? Can Portmore hold off the pack of title hungry clubs? Maybe not.


Waterhouse FC leads the chasing pack with 36 points and will definitely be looking to close the gap in the final rounds. Firehouse, as they are affectionately called, is famous for closing a 14 point gap between themselves and Harbour View to win the title in 2006, to mark the inaugural season of a league format.  With five points, a much smaller target, the men from Drewsland must be licking their chaps as they set out to chase again. With the joint leading goal scorer, Jermaine “Tuffy” Anderson and arguably the best midfielder in the RSPL, Vincent “Junie” Earl, Waterhouse should not be counted out. The Trophy Cabinet at the Drewsland mini stadium was last opened in 2006 and 2012 could be the year for another opening.

Vincent Earle, one the top local midfielders

A point behind Waterhouse are defending champions Tivoli Gardens. After making it to the first round finals, Tivoli stumbled at the beginning of the second round and found themselves adrift off the leading pack. However, the addition of on-loan striker Romeo Parkes, gave the West Kingston outfit a much needed boost and a string of favourable results towards the end of the second round brought the defending champions back in the contest.  If past seasons are anything to go by, Tivoli Gardens will not go down without a fight. With the likes of Christopher Jackson and Roland Dean coming into their own, this title race could be a nail biting one and should go down to the last game of the season.


If there was a prize for inconsistency, Harbour view would be the favourite to claim it. Having lost the least games this season (4) and conceding the least goals (16), it is puzzling as to why Harbour View is not amongst the league leaders. A total of 32 points put the Stars of the East in fifth position and nine points off leaders Portmore United. With the meanest defence in the league,  the best dead ball kicker and arguable the best finisher in Jermaine Hue and Fabian Taylor, a little change of luck and consistency could spell danger for the teams at the top.

Jermaine Hue the best dead ball kicker in the island.

While Harbour View, Tivoli Gardens and Waterhouse are the main contenders to take over the pole position from Portmore United, teams such as fourth place Humble Lions and to a lesser extent, Boys Town, still have a big part to play in the title race. While Humble Lion is not far off, a poor home record and a leaky defence will hamper their chances. Boys Town on the other hand have been off track this season and lack the depth to be consistent for the final set of games.  The RSPL is just about heating up and league leaders Portmore United have to keep the hungry pack at bay. Will they maintain their lead atop the standings? Will they fall behind and if they do, who will over throw them? Will it be the defending champions? The red hot men from Drewsland? Or the stars of the East?