Boys' Town's Garfield Gillespie (right) gets away from Dwayne Ballintine of Arnett Gardens during the Digicel Premier League match at Collie Smith Drive in the first round. Boys' Town won 1-0. - Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer
ARNETT GARDENS will host rivals Boys' Town in a Trench Town derby that highlights today's opening second-round matches in the Digicel Premier League at Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex, beginning at 4 p.m.
Another derby of sorts - that between St Catherine teams Rivoli United and defending champions Portmore United, who used to share the Spanish Town Prison Oval home ground - has been postponed due to the funeral of Rivoli midfielder Enrico Beech.
Putting to rest a ghastly, inefficient conversion rate before goal will be prime on Arnett's agenda as they have failed repeatedly to score wide open scoring opportunities time and again in the first round, only to leave themselves in a hole in ninth on 11 points, one above the relegation zone in the 12-team league.
Boys' Town, though much better placed at fifth - five points off leaders Harbour View - have had similar problems, especially as they suffered back-to-back losses to Tivoli Gardens and Portmore in their previous fixtures, and will look to their forwards for a repair job in a real no-holds barred showdown.
Getting goals
As the standings indicate, Boys' Town have been playing well and getting their goals from a wide spread of players, led mainly by Peter Keyes and Denzil Watson.
This work was supplemented much by an all-round effort typified with hard running, quality passing and the generally outstanding contributions from midfielder Garfield Gillespie, who provides much stability and stature while covering every blade of grass on the pitch.
His Arnett counterfoil is Cornel Chin-Sue, but his minutes have not been the same, probably a reflection of the inconsistencies that have affected the team which has, nonetheless, remained quite solid in defence, conceding only nine goals in the 11 first-round matches.'
This is only bettered by the five let in by leaders Harbour View, the seven by Tivoli Gardens (second place) and St Georges' four conceded.
Anyone of the Junglists will tell you how much they crave for that level of efficiency at the attacking end of the pitch where they have made some alarming misses to stimulate the cry of "missing too many goals."
Significantly, they have lost five of six games by a single goal - including the corresponding away fixture down at Collie Smith Drive.
Needless to say, it's the major reason for a predicament that will not be easily solved in this afternoon's tough derby.
Facing difficulties
Similarly, the day shapes up to be tough for other teams at the bottom end of the table.
Youthful but talented Sporting Central Academy have been grounded by a quartet of straight losses and will face real difficulties at Reno, a steady team which knows how to tag a game.
Though the Westmoreland side is coming off back-to-back losses, Reno's charges are favoured to take full points.
It wouldn't be foolhardy to predict a similar outcome for Harbour View, buoyant from their end-of-first-round championship victory over Tivoli Gardens at the National Stadium last Sunday, even though the spacious and the generally windy seaside venue, Elleston Wakeland Centre, will provide a different proposition.
expected to prevail
Paul 'Tegat' Davis, who anchored that marvellous rescue act for the Trelawny team last season with an eight-game unbeaten run that netted seven wins, returns as head coach. But while his side is not expected to get the four-goal hammering of its first outing this season at Harbour View, the Stars of the East are still expected to prevail.
Tivoli, who came out on the receiving end of Sunday's 2-1 final, have coach Lenworth Hyde Sr back from international duty with the national Under-20 team, but will miss their key striker and captain, Roland Dean, who was red carded against Harbour View.
Still, they may pack too many punches for promoted Meadhaven, who cannot be underestimated and may be ripe to pull off a major upset as they are on a path of improvement, streaking up a hat-trick of wins in their past three matches.
Geoffrey Maxwell, who fashioned Waterhouse into a championship outfit years back, will play host to his former charges in an interesting match at St Georges' Lynch Park, where his team has remained unbeaten this season and has recorded three straight victories while scoring two goals on each occasion.
The side is on 19 points, only four off the leaders.
Waterhouse sprung from a poor slump with Jermaine Anderson's goal at Sporting Central last time and must supplement their deadly attacking force with better defen-ding if they are to override the tactical craftiness of their former master.
Today's games
Meadhaven United vs Tivoli Gardens at Constant Spring Complex - 3 p.m.
Village United vs Harbour View at Elleston Wakeland Centre - 3 p.m.
Reno vs Sporting Central Academy at Frome Sports Complex - 3 p.m.
Arnett Gardens vs Boys' Town at Tony Spaulding Sports Complex - 4 p.m.
St Georges vs Waterhouse at Lynch Park - 3 p.m.