Portmore United's Onandi Lowe (foreground) is caught in an aerial battle with Omar Dallas of Reno Football Club, while Reno's Dwayne Williams looks on during a Wray and Nephew National Premier League match at the Ferdie Neita Park in Portmore yesterday. Reno won 1-0 and advanced to the second end-of-round final. - Anthony Minott

By Paul-Andre Walker, Staff Reporter

With 43 minutes of an outstanding second-round performance still left to go, Reno have already booked their place in the Wray and Nephew National Premier League end-of-round final and secured second place in the standings.

At the start of their 90-minute game with Portmore United, it was anybody's game, with Reno, the surprise team of the round, having the slimmest of advantages.

A draw was all the West-moreland-based unit needed to ensure their place and Fabian Blake's all-important sixth-minute strike was good enough for them to go one better than their requirement.

Needing a victory to stand a chance of making it to the final - though a win wouldn't guarantee it - Portmore wasted a number of good opportunities to make the visitors uneasy.

Substitute Onandi Lowe, for instance, providing some much,needed muscle up front, crashed a shot on to one of the uprights, while Jermaine Richards watched as his effort from an angle was gobbled up by goalkeeper Dwayne Kerr. Mario Swaby, too, was bested by the tall figure of Kerr, who tipped his lob over the bar.

Even if Portmore had won though, Reno would still have 43 minutes of a game to complete against Boys' Town and a win there would serve their purposes just as well. That game was suddenly halted by gunshots on January 3.

The win pushed Reno to 25 points in the second round and 43 points overall, while Portmore finished the round on 21 points with 39 overall, which is still good enough for fourth place.

Reno's victory also meant they gained some ground on Harbour View, cutting the deficit to four after the league leaders only managed a 0-0 draw against Tivoli that took them to 47 points.

Tivoli are now on 30 points, the same as Arnett Gardens, who have a game in hand and a better goal difference.

Over at the University of the West Indies, August Town put themselves in a world of trouble when they, like Portmore, never took their chances and went down 1-0 to the visiting Seba United.

The win means that Seba now move to 25 points and a secure ninth place, six points ahead of 10th-place August Town.

August Town are trailed in the standings by Wadadah, who are on 16 points, and Naggo Head, who are still bottom, but catching up, with 9.

Boys' Town remain in eighth place but only just after they gave up a 79th minute goal to end 1-1 with Waterhouse at Drewsland. Overall, they have 26 points from a disappointing round.

Michael Campbell opened the scoring for Boys' Town, smashing a 30-yard drive in the 56th minute to give the Collie Smith Drive team some hopes of a good end to their troubled round.

However, Irvino English, with a goal from similar distance, left the honours even and Waterhouse on 41 points for third place in the league.