file- Steven Morrisey

by Ainsley Walters, Freelance Writer

PORTMORE UNITED lead the Cash Plus Premier League standings by six points, have only lost one of 11 games, 0-1 at Waterhouse off a penalty kick, after being reduced to nine men, and also boast an imposing plus-nine goal difference, making them the envy of the league.

Tomorrow afternoon, Tivoli Gardens, who have conceded as many goals as they have scored in 11 games, face Portmore United in the first round final of the Premiership after being on the receiving end of an embarrassing 3-0 home loss when the teams last met on October 21.

Tivoli Gardens have it all to do against Portmore when the teams square-off at Harbour View, starting at 6:00 p.m.

Their defensive unit remains suspect as captain Kasai Hinds is still on the injury list and the west Kingston lads, despite netting three goals against St. Georges last Sunday, woefully need a striker to unravel opposing defence lines.

So far this season, only two Tivoli players, wing-back Christopher Jackson and Roland Dean, have scored more than one goal. Jackson twice scored from free-kicks and striker Dean netted a double in their very first match before retiring to the injury list.

Portmore have been on a roll, unbeaten since October 7, have conceded only six goals in 11 matches and qualified for the first round final with a match in hand.

club's policy

Tivoli manager Brian Rose admitted his side face an uphill task, but is confident his team will rise to the occasion in the one-off match worth $500,000 to the winners with a half of that sum going to the losers.

With the club's policy of sharing all prize money among players and support staff, $500,000 would go a long way further than $250,000.

"They are the in-form team right now," said Rose, commenting on Portmore.

"We lost 0-3 to them and it was a wake-up call for us," he added.

"We were very embarrassed by that beating. We've come to realise for us to become champions, we can't afford to lose games so easily. The players have lift themselves up and the coaching staff have been trying their best to motivate the players.

"Come Sunday it's a different ball game. Who makes the least mistakes will be winners," Rose warned.

The Tivoli manager cautioned against any lapse as his team went in trailing St. Georges 0-1 last Sunday before assistant coach Desmond Francis ripped into players during the break.

"Against a quality team like Portmore, you can't afford to slip-up," he pointed out. "They will destroy you. That's what happened in our first game and we hope those errors won't recur."

Portmore's Linval Dixon isn't taking Tivoli for granted.

"Tivoli will always be tough," he said. "I remember the last time we met in a final they beat us inside the National Stadium," he added, referring to a 2-3 extra-time loss in a Red Stripe knockout decider.

The Portmore coach sounded quietly confident even though most of his team's goals have been coming from midfield instead of their strikers.

"We're still looking to Morrisey (Steven) and Barrett (Carlos)," Dixon said, in what could be a hint that Newton Sterling, a major disappointment since transferring from Village, could watch at least the first half from the bench.

Portmore's Ricardo Cousins continues to boot in spectacular long-range shots and Wolery Wolfe is always dangerous in and around the box.

In addition, Eric Vernon is real live-wire in midfield, who Tivoli will have to keep in check to upset their more fancied rivals.