Kemar Foster, one of the most influential shot stoppers in the Wray and Nephew Jamaica Premier League, produced a gritty goalkeeping display to ensure Waterhouse edged Vere United 1-0 in a lively contest at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex on Monday.

Foster, who often partners Reggae Boyz captain Andre Blake on national duties, made a number of saves to shutout Vere United in a dazzling performance that pushed the Drewsland-based team over the line after Revaldo Mitchell’s solitary 24^th-minute strike.

The 31-year-old Foster displayed unbeatable form, which underlined his credentials. He claimed crosses, shut down angles and even went full stretch to tip shots around and over his goal frame. Nothing was too much to ask of Foster on the day, as he flew around his box, putting his body on the line to deny Vere United.

It’s gritty goalkeeper performances like this that keep teams in the hunt for championship honours, and the shutout not only handed Waterhouse three points, but also propelled them back into the top six on 26 points, two points ahead of seventh-placed Dunbeholden, and three ahead of eighth-placed Montego Bay United, their closest pursuers. Vere United on the other hand, remains 10^th on 19 points.

Foster, who required medical attention on a few occasions, felt he was exposed too often, but expressed content with his display between the sticks, which is sometimes overlooked.

“In the midfield, I think we gave Vere too much space to play and they did play. Teams will hurt you once you give them space, but I am fortunate to come out with a clean sheet,” Foster said in a post-game interview.

“It (goalkeeping duty) is rough to be honest, you have to stay focus after a game like this and not get ahead of yourself, and also ensure you recover properly and rest when possible before hitting training hard again. This is the best performance I had so far this season, it’s a long season, so I am hoping I can have many more like this going forward.” he added.

After a spirited start, it took Vere United 15 minutes to ask their first question of Foster, and the custodian proved equal to the task when he went full-stretch to his right to parry Odane Murray’s stinging right-footed effort.

That may have been the wake-up call Waterhouse needed, as they got into their rhythm shortly after, and eventually found the go-ahead goal. It came when Navardo Blair’s free kick sparked a melee, which ended with Mitchell tucking home from close range after Javane Bryan and Andre Fletcher’s efforts were desperately kept out by Javier Brown on the goal line.

Though they continued to threaten in open play, Waterhouse failed to add to their tally, as numerous half-chances were squandered and, as such, the score remained unchanged at the break.

Like they did at the start, Vere United came out more purposeful on the resumption, but unlike the first half, they didn’t allow Waterhouse a look-in on this occasion, and were only denied by Foster’s resilience.

It took two great saves in quick success by Foster to deny Vere United in the 54th, as he first blocked Kemar Beckford’s well-struck left-footed shot and recovered well to parry Justin Cohen’s acrobatic effort on the rebound.

Vere pressed the ascendancy and found a couple more openings in the latter stages of the contest from which they again tested Foster’s mettle in their probe to pull level.

Javon Smith got on the end of weighted Javier Brown corner kick with a firm header, but Foster got down well to his right to squeeze out the effort at his near post.

And even with the game nearing its end, Vere United’s substitute Lorenzo Lewin unleashed a well-struck snapshot, and Foster again came up big in time added to ensure his team secured all three points.

Waterhouse’s assistant coach Damion Gordon hailed the defensive line for holding firm as their attacking front came up short.

“The big question surrounds our consistency. I thought our first half was very good and they (Vere United) were clearly better than us in the second half, but in terms of our defensive structure, I think we did well,” he said.

For Vere United’s Head coach Linval Dixon, there is cause for concern over his team’s failure to convert a goal in five straight games, but he is also mindful that it is not for a lack of trying.

“Not scoring goals is disturbing for us because we have really been working hard in training to score, so it is cause for concern. But we are still working, and we are still fighting. It is just that we came up against a national goalkeeper and he was the difference in the game. I can’t fault the team for effort so like I said, we will continue working because when we start scoring things will change,” Dixon declared.

Despite struggling to find some semblance of consistency, Waterhouse FC continues to get points on the board, as they defeated Harbour View 2-1 in a lukewarm Wray and Nephew Jamaica Premier League (WNJPL) encounter at Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex on Wednesday.

Andre Fletcher (43^rd) and Javane Bryan (58^th) were on target for Waterhouse, while Nigerian-born Chidalu Chukwuemeka, pulled one back for Harbour View in the 49^th.

The win provisionally pushed Waterhouse into sixth position on 19 points, one ahead of Cavalier, who will be in action on Thursday, while Harbour View’s dismal start to the season continues and, as a result, they remain 11^th on nine points.

Waterhouse’s assistant coach Damion Gordon welcomed the result as a step in the right direction to achieving their objective of making the playoff.

“We talk about consistency and that’s what every team is searching for, so once we find some consistency, we should be moving forward. But overall, our objective is simple, we want to finish in the top six and we are working towards it,” Gordon said in a post-game interview.

“It is just a work in progress for this team; it is about building a unit and the transfer window is now open, so hopefully we can get some numbers to strengthen the team. We have influential and experience players at the back, being solid at the back and efficient in front of goal is something that we want to achieve, and like I said, we are working towards it,” he added.

Waterhouse was more threatening in open play for most of the first half, and they eventually broke the deadlock when Fletcher pounced on a loose ball and fired home from close range to make it 1-0 at the break.

Harbour View showed more purpose in attack on the resumption and pulled level four minutes in when Chukwuemeka picked up a pass from Andre Fagan and calmly converted from just inside the 18-yard box, as he registered his first goal in Jamaica’s top-flight.

However, Harbour View’s celebrations were short-lived, as they succumbed to a blistering counterattack. Denardo Thomas produced a burst of speed from the middle of the park, and later played a pass across the box for Bryan to fire home his ninth goal of the season from dead centre of the 18-yard box.

There was very little to write home about from there, as the contest lost its tempo, with Harbour View in particular, seemingly accepting their fate.

This has left their assistant coach Sean Fraser infuriated.

“Our defensive shortfall is our Achilles heels, we have tried many things and we have been working hard in training, but it was just a total lapse in concentration that gifted the first goal, and the second goal Waterhouse punished us for it. So, it has just been a see-saw kind of thing. Right now, I am very upset because we have been putting in the work, but we are not getting the results, so it is just back to the drawing board to continue the work,” he noted.

Wednesday’s results

Vere United 1, Dunbeholden 2

Humble Lion 1, Portmore United 4

Lime Hall 1, Mount Pleasant 4

Harbour View 1, Waterhouse 2

Tivoli Gardens 1, Montego Bay United 2

Thursday’s games

4:30pm: Molynes United vs Cavalier @Anthony Spaulding Complex

7:00pm: Arnett Gardens vs Treasure Beach @Anthony Spaulding Complex

The go-ahead goal inevitably came when Nickoy Christian's well-timed pass sent Fletcher on his way, and the player sporting the number 15 jersey drove a right-footer past Carlye Holmes in goal for Treasure Beach.

 

That let-off offered Treasure Beach some semblance of hope, even moreso when Lewin got in behind defenders and lobbed a left-footed shot over Wilson, who had no chance at a save, to make it 2-1 at the break.

 

Both teams came out spiritedly on the resumption, but Treasure Beach threatened first through Lewin, who produced a tidy run down the left channel, but couldn't pick out a teammate in the final third.

 

Waterhouse responded immediately courtesy of Bryan, whose effort was charged down by a defender. 

 

Despite the numerical disadvantage after Thompson took out Denardo Thomas from behind and was ejected,  Treasure Beach held firm until the latter stages of the contest when Waterhouse again gathered momentum. 

 

After having an earlier effort blocked, Flecther eventually completed his brace when he finished off a decent build-up orchestrated by substitute Revaldo Mitchell, who got by three defenders, and allowed Christian to provide another assist.

 

And minutes later, another substitute Leonardo Jibbison produced a darting run down the right channel and later picked out Rondee Smith, who fired home from the top of the 18-yard box to cap the win in time added.

 

Fitzroy Ambusley, assistant coach of Treasure Beach is confident that they will eventually find a momentum which will allow them to play another season of top-flight football.

 

"I would say unfortunate. We came here with the mindset to win but things didn't go our way. I thought the guys fought well even after we went down to 10 players, but it just wasn't our night. But we will continue to fight, and we will stay up (in the league)," he declared.

Waterhouse Football Club extended their unbeaten run to three matches after they came from behind to secure a 1-1 stalemate with Cavalier FC in a lukewarm Wray and Nephew Jamaica Premier League encounter at Sabina Park on Monday.

Christopher Ainsworth (33rd) sent Cavalier in front, but his strike was cancelled out by Denardo Thomas's 40th-minute strike.

The result saw Waterhouse inching up to seven points and into second position, while Cavalier, who will contest the Concacaf Caribbean Cup final in a few weeks, remain ninth on four points.

What started out as a cagey affair gradually developed after both teams started showing some attacking intent close to the half-hour mark.

Cavalier struck first through Ainsworth, as the 18-year-old executed a deft left-footed effort that had Kemar Foster, in goal for Waterhouse, beaten all ends up. 

Thomas responded to Ainsworth's second goal of the season, with his second as well when he arrived at goalmouth to bury Javane Bryan's pass across the face of goal.

Waterhouse thought they were heading to the break in front when Bryan scored a rebound from Andre Fletcher's initial effort that came back off the upright but was later ruled offside.

Cavalier came out purposeful on the resumption and almost found the go-ahead goal when Jerome McLeary played through Shaneil Thomas, whose effort from close range was kept out by Foster who got down well to his right.

The Drewsland-based Waterhouse again went close in the 62nd minute when Navardo Blair's decent overlapping run down the left channel opened space for a cross inside the danger area. It took a crucial deflection by Cavalier's goalkeeper Jeadine White to avert the danger, as Bryan closed in fast at the far post.

However, the game dropped in tempo from there with chances at a premium, as both teams were seemingly content with sharing the spoils.

Waterhouse's assistant coach Damion Gordon agreed that the performance wasn't their best.

"There were some moments in the game where I think we could have won it, but that's football, we should have taken our chances. What we (and Cavalier) did was try to cancel out each other and I think that is what you saw. In the first half they tried to press us and then second half they sat deep, I think we were the better team but again, it's football and I think there are a lot of things that we can work on, more so how we convert our chances," Gordon declared.

Cavalier's Head coach Rudolph Speid took more pleasure in the outcome.

"It was a good game and I thought we did very well. We were up against a quality team that is on a high from their recent win, so I wouldn't knock my team too hard.

"I would have preferred a win but that is how it goes sometimes. We play to a system all the time, and we are prepared for a long season, it's just the fatigue that we have to guard against," Speid shared.

Matchweek Four Results

Molynes United 1, Mount Pleasant 3

Vere United 1, Montego Bay United 1

Dunbeholden FC 0, Portmore United 2

Treasure Beach 1, Lime Hall 0

Arnett Gardens 1, Tivoli Gardens 3

Harbour View 2, Humble Lion 2

Cavalier 1, Waterhouse 1

Waterhouse FC blanked Mount Pleasant FA 2-0 in Saturday’s clash between two Jamaica Premier League heavyweights at the UWI-JFF Captain Horace Burrell Centre of Excellence.

Waterhouse and Vere United battled to a 0-0 stalemate in their Jamaica Premier League match at the Stadium East field.

Vere United are showing that they belong with another sturdy, well-organized display that earned them a share of the points with their more celebrated opponents. The team that flirted with relegation in the last campaign have now climbed to fourth spot with five points, the same as Waterhouse, who are third because of a better goal difference.

However, it was a game that Waterhouse should have won as they created more and better chances throughout. The Drewsland-based team had 16 shots, seven of them on target and enjoyed 55 per cent of the possession.

Meanwhile, the Clarendon-based Vere United had only two shots and one on target, but they stuck to their game plan and defended stoutly, led by the uncompromising Ricardo Campbell, who was voted Man-of-the-Match.

Head coach Donovan Duckie said he was pleased with sharing the points against one of the league’s best teams.

“We knew that getting a point from this game would be a good achievement for us,” said Duckie. “We understand what is against us, those teams were playing in the CONCACAF league and are more prepared than us and I thought we did exceptionally well.”

Waterhouse’s assistant coach Damion Gordon thought his team played well but just did not get the desired result.

“I am not disappointed with the performance of the team but with the result. We did move the ball in changing the point of attack but they defended well,” said Gordon. “It’s a game-by-game situation and there will be games like this.”