BY AINSLEY WALTERS, Staff Reporter
FILE - Waterhouse striker Kevin Lamey (left)
WITH THEIR FIRST round win over leaders Harbour View soured by a nationally televised brawl started by their most popular player, Kevin 'Pele' Wilson, Arnett Gardens travel to Waterhouse tomorrow afternoon without the star striker for the first set of return games in the Premiership.
Wilson and central midfielder Cornel Chin-Sue were both sent packing in the first minute of stoppage time last Sunday for violent conduct in Arnett's 2-1 win over leaders Harbour View.
The Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) wielded its big stick earlier this week, slapping four players involved including Harbour View's Leon Strickland and Rafeik Thomas, who picked up three and two day bans accompanying $5,000 fines.
Chin-Sue was also penalised with a three-day ban and $5,000 fine whereas Wilson was hardest hit, booted for four games and fined $5,000.
Arnett Gardens' president Patrick Roberts yesterday admitted Wilson had helped spur his team's first round fortunes, scoring four goals including a double on his seasonal debut and the equaliser in last week's bonus final against Harbour View, but said discipline comes first and the other players will now have to "step up to the plate".
"What he did was to add punch up front but at the same time we can't sacrifice that punch up front for discipline," said Roberts, pointing out that the players were also hit hard by Arnett Gardens' executive.
ADDITIONAL FINE
"We met and the decision the executive took was to impose an additional 50 per cent fine of Wilson's monthly salary plus he's on probation for the remainder of the season," said Roberts, who's also the chief executive officer for Shocking Vibes, a record company to which international dancehall star Beenie Man is the headline act.
Chin-Sue also escaped further ban but was docked 25 per cent of his monthly salary.
"One thing the executive, or I, as president, don't want is to build a team around an individual player," Roberts said. "Team is spelt with an 'e' and not an 'I'," he added.
Roberts, who culled several senior players from Arnett's roster at the start of the season, insists the team will have to prove itself without Wilson especially against Waterhouse, staunch rivals, who dominated the Junglists last season but are winless in their last five games.
Arnett blanked Waterhouse 2-0 in their first-round opener, doing so without Wilson, who was away representing Montreal Impact in the United States Soccer League (USL) plus Chin-Sue was also out, recovering from injury.
STILL POTENT
The Junglists are still potent with forward Gregg Taylor and right-winger Conry Hall growing more confident with each game in their first season at Arnett but Wilson's attacking midfield role had provided what Arnett lacked in the first half of the round - a killer instinct.
Even though Waterhouse were blanked by Arnett in the first round and badly bruised 3-1 by Harbour View in their last game, they are yet to lose at Drewsland and must be burning for revenge against their rivals.
In addition, their loss against Harbour View was their first in six games, which included too many draws that killed off their hopes of making the first round final.
A win for Waterhouse would pull the Calvert Fitzgerald coached team from mid-table on 16 points to one of second-place Arnett on 20.
However, Fitzgerald, similar to others before him, is having a hard time convincing his other forwards to join Kevin Lamey on the scoresheet. Jomo Gordon started ahead of Shane Edwards in their last game and netted against his old team, Harbour View, but its left to be seen how consistent he'll be.
Waterhouse boast a more organised defence in a 5-3-2 system and with Arnett utilising a pair of wingers, Hall and Kwame Richardson, who are often caught upfield on the counter, the Junglists could be spread thin on the sprawling Drewsland field.
Games On
Boys' Town vs Tivoli at Constant Spring at 3:00
Harbour View vs Wadadah at 6:30
Rivoli vs Constant Spring at 4:00
Village vs Reno at 3:00
Seba vs Portmore at 6:00
Waterhouse vs Arnett at 5:00.
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