Mount Pleasant outclass Cavalier

Mount Pleasant Football Academy delivered an impressive second-half performance to rally for a 3-1 comeback win over defending champions Cavalier FC in their Jamaica Premier League football encounter at Stadium East yesterday.

Kimoni Bailey (67th), Raheem Edwards (76th), and an own goal by Michael Forbes (88th) sealed the win for Mount Pleasant. Dwayne Allen scored for Cavalier in the ninth minute.

Despite controlling large portions of the opening exchanges, Mount Pleasant fell behind early when Allen headed home a cross from Christopher Ainsworth to give Cavalier the lead.

Cavalier carried a 1-0 advantage into halftime, thanks in part to a resolute defensive effort led by captain Giovanni Laing, who made several crucial interventions to keep Mount Pleasant at bay.

However, the St Ann-based side turned the game around with an inspired second-half performance. Bailey ignited the comeback in the 67th minute with a powerful right-footed strike from 25 yards that left goalkeeper Demelico Fer with no chance.

MOMENTUM SHIFT

The momentum shifted decisively, and nine minutes later Edwards doubled the lead after skilfully evading two defenders before finishing clinically.

Mount Pleasant sealed the victory in the 88th minute when Forbes inadvertently headed the ball into his own net under pressure.

Mount Pleasant's Director of Football, Davion Ferguson, praised his team's resilience and overall performance.

"I think it was a good performance from start to finish. We conceded a goal very early against the run of play, but I don't think they were threatening at any time," Ferguson said.

"However, in the second half we turned it up a notch and we really played how we wanted to play. When we got the first goal, it was really a matter of when we would get the second and the third. We created more opportunities to score, so all in all it was a good performance in the end."

The victory lifts Mount Pleasant to 63 points, two behind leaders Montego Bay United, while Cavalier remain seventh on 35 points.

David Laylor, coach of Cavalier, said: "I think that we didn't perform up to standard in terms of concentration. I think we lost focus easily and we gave up some easy goals and we scored one against ourselves and so I think the concentration was off."