Cavalier's Oneil Morrison (right) raises his hands as August Town's Aphas Bernard (left) makes an acrobatic challenge, while Jevonnie Francis of Cavalier (centre) reacts, during their Claro KSAFA Super League football match at UWI Bowl, Mona, on Saturday. Cavalier won 1-0. - Peta-Gaye Clachar/Staff Photographer
The race for championship honours in the KSAFA Super League was thrown on its head on Saturday when Cavalier recorded a hard-fought 1-0 win over leaders August Town at the UWI Bowl.
David Riley headed home the all-important goal in the 83rd minute.
Cavalier joined August Town atop of the standings with 43 points. With two rounds of matches to go, the trophy could end up at either club.
August Town, however, enjoy a plus-16 goal difference and should they avoid defeat away to Duhaney Park and at home to Maverley- Hughenden in the final fixtures, they would qualify for the premier league play-offs.
"It's the first match that the team has lost for the season. It would have been good to win all off our matches this season, as this was our intention. But having said that, we are still in the lead and just need to win our remaining two games. This is what we intend to do and are confident we can do it," said August Town coach, Calvert Fitzgerald.
Cavalier, on the other hand, who will face Constant Spring at home and bottom-placed Police National away in their final two games, will need to win their last two matches and hope August Town slip. According to player-coach David Laylor, the win was not surprising.
"We expected to win, we planned to win, we prepared to win and it's no surprise that we won," said a jubilant Laylor.
"We knew that generally August Town don't get good results against good opposition and, as such, we were confident going into the clash. Against weak teams they tend to win heavily but against credible opponents, like Santos and ourselves, they struggle.
To make national play-offs
"But the job is not over yet. We now know that we have to win our next two games and at the moment that's where our focus is. Our aim and ambition is to make it to the national play-offs and until that happens we won't ease up.
"But the job is not over yet. We now know that we have to win our next two games and at the moment that's where our focus is."
Besides the joint leaders, only one other team, Santos, have a chance of winning the title. The Carlton Dennis-conditioned men are third in the standings with 40 points.
They are away to Real Mona and at home to the Jamaica Defence Force in their remaining matches and are hoping that the leaders either lose or draw in their remaining fixtures.
In other Super League results Saturday: Constant Spring 2 (Robert Taylor 53rd, Robert Levy 62nd) Jamaica Defence Force 2 (Cecil Sturridge 71st Robert Wright 88th); Bull Bay 0 Duhaney Park 0; Mountain View United 1 (Andre Palmer 42nd) Maverley/Hughenden 1 (Fabian Swaby 90th); Liguanea United 2 (Kevin Campbell 2nd Everton Mattis 72nd) Real Mona 1 (AJair Gooden 89th); Police National 0 Santos 2 (Fabian Nethersole 20th, Shyan Evans 40th).
In the Major League competition, the results are: Port Royal vs Rockfort (DNP - no security present); Meadforest vs Molynes United ( DNP- no security present); Rae Town 1 (Donovan Beckford 77th) Barbican 0; Cooreville Gardens 3 (Andrae Bernal 8th, 41st, Oshane Smith 16th) Seaview Gardens 0; Brown's Town 1 (Jason Moore 78th) Olympic Gardens 1 (Garfield Gordon 84th; Swallowfield 2 (Own Goal 28th, Shevan Wright 66th) Central Kingston 1 (Orrett Williams 55th).