Village United's Nigel Ellis kicks the ball while Portmore United's Mario Swaby looks on, during the Digicel Premier League match at Ferdie Neita Park on Sunday. Roen Nelson scored for Portmore in the 56th and 77th minutes, while Preston Corporal scored for Village in the 66th, in the encounter that Portmore won 2-1. - Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer

Player-coach Fabian Davis netted a screamer from 30 yards out with 20 minutes remaining, to rescue a share of the spoils for Arnett Gardens, in their 1-1 away draw against Waterhouse in the Digicel Premier League game on Sunday.

Picking up a ball in midfield with his team 1-0 down and steering down the barrell of defeat, Davis, who was given the job of player-coach five games into the season after long-serving coach Jerome Waite was sacked, spotted Waterhouse goalkeeper, Richard McCallum, off his line, and in the blink of an eye, released a thunderbolt which swirled and dipped under the crossbar.

Thankful for point

"We came for the win and didn't get it, but we are thankful for the point," said Davis, who in scoring, erased Robert Fletcher's 63rd-minute goal. "We played good football ... It's just that we are not getting the ball into the net and it's something that has been plaguing us all season, something that we are working on and hopefully in not-too-distant future we will get it right."

Davis, who having spent much of the first half of his player-coach stint on the bench, started on Sunday and like Lionel Messi when he plays for Argentina and Barcelona, played just behind his team's two strikers, Kevin Wilson and Leon Strickland.

Similar sentiments

He was not the only person who was thankful for the point as Waterhouse coach, Hugh 'Bingi' Blair, shared similar sentiments.

"One-all, we have to give thanks, but we wanted to win," he said. "Arnett played some good football today. They stood up to the task, although I thought we were unlucky not to have taken all three points. Before they scored, we created a couple of chances, one of which hit the crossbar. We just have to now regroup and make better use of our chances in the future."

Waterhouse took the lead when Fletcher, lurking in the box, found himself on the receiving end of a loose ball and after miskicking on the first attempt, recovered to convert.

He then ran to the stands, punched the air and buoyed by the musical selection of one of Vybz Kartel's latest songs, he hugged and embraced his teammates.

Goal difference

The lead, however, lasted only seven minutes, thanks to Davis' sizzler.

Arnett stayed ninth, tied on 12 points with Meadhaven and Village, but with a better goal difference, while Waterhouse remain sixth on 19 points.