It was a single moment of sharp instinct from Haitian stalwart Clifford Thomas that gave Mount Pleasant Football Academy the edge, as they secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Montego Bay United in the first leg of their Wray and Nephew Jamaica Premier League semi-final at the Montego Bay Sports Complex on Thursday night.
Thomas’ 22nd-minute strike—clean, confident, and perfectly timed—was enough to separate the sides after 90 fiercely contested minutes and hand the St Ann-based club a crucial advantage heading into Sunday’s decisive second leg at Sabina Park.
Mount Pleasant’s head coach, Theodore Whitmore, pointed out that the goal encapsulates Thomas’ value to this Mount Pleasant team, as he is often calm under pressure and clinical in execution.
"That’s why we acquired his service. We know what he can contribute, and tonight, he did that for us and came up with the winning goal," Whitmore said post-match.
In a first half that ebbed and flowed with attacking intent from both teams, Montego Bay United looked the brighter in the early exchanges, especially through the lively Jourdaine Fletcher, who made a couple of trademark surging runs that had the Mount Pleasant defence scrambling.
But football is about moments, and Mount Pleasant seized theirs when Montego Bay United failed to clear their lines following a corner. As they scrambled to get the ball away, it fell kindly to Thomas, who fired home on the volley as Montego Bay United's custodian Davonnie Burton found himself in no man’s land.
Montego Bay United nearly responded just six minutes later when Owayne Gordon burst into the box and unleashed a right-footed effort that was deflected just wide. From the resulting corner, Jean Claudio Ferreira found Jordan Britto with a well-weighted delivery, but Mount Pleasant's goalkeeper Tafari Chambers gathered cleanly.
Still, Mount Pleasant finished the half stronger with two decent opportunities, both falling to Nicholas Nelson. A delightful through ball from Devonte Campbell set Nelson free in the 37th, but his low left-footed effort only found the side netting.
Nelson had another golden chance in the 41st minute after a neat pass from Franco Celestine, but his right-footer rattled the crossbar in an agonizing moment that could have doubled Mount Pleasant’s lead before the break.
The second half saw both teams maintain purpose and energy. Montego Bay United enjoyed their fair share of possession but struggled to find anything meaningful in the final third that would undo Mount Pleasant’s disciplined defensive line.
On the other hand, Mount Pleasant managed the remainder of the game well, particularly where their midfield control and defensive shape were concerned, as they preserved the lead, even as Montego Bay’s urgency grew.
With the tie still finely poised, Whitmore is keeping his squad grounded ahead of Sunday’s showdown.
"Over the season, we have been consistent. We don’t want to be overconfident. We know it’s going to be a tough game. We’ve won the first half, so we are looking forward to the second half come Sunday," he said.
His counterpart, Paul “Tegat” Davis, saw signs of encouragement despite the loss.
"It’s not over. You saw how we played in the second half. We just need to build on that going into the second leg. We can still beat this team. We just need to up the tempo and play with more possession going forward. I think we locked them down in the second half, so we just have to continue with that,” Davis declared.