Cavalier Clinch JPL Play-off Spot as Harbour View Drop After Three Decades

Cavalier grabbed a Jamaica Premier League play-off berth on the final day of the preliminary round, overturning a deficit to beat Harbour View 2-1 at Stadium East and send the east Kingston side down to the lower division for the first time in more than 30 years.

"This is one of the things that tells you that the youngsters are ready," Cavalier assistant coach David Laylor said. "Coming from behind and getting this result shows me that the youngsters have the grit to stick it out and fight to the end," he added.

The defending champions ended the preliminary phase in fifth position with 61 points. Racing United secured the sixth and last play-off position with a 4-0 victory over already-relegated Spanish Town Police, finishing one point behind Cavalier.

Arnett Gardens beat Chapelton Maroons 7-2, but it was not enough to squeeze into the top six. Arnett needed either a Cavalier defeat or a Racing draw, and neither result came.

Cavalier looked sharp early, creating danger through an Adrian Reid header and a Romarion Thomas effort that drifted just wide.

Harbour View settled and found their opening through Reid, the league's leading scorer, after he got in behind and showed quality to beat two defenders before firing beyond goalkeeper Jamari Gordon.

Cavalier pressed hard heading toward the interval, but Harbour View held the lead into half-time.

At the break, Arnett were already 5-0 up on Chapelton, a scoreline that had temporarily pushed Cavalier outside the play-off places. At the same time, Harbour View were provisionally out of the relegation zone with Molynes and Treasure Beach locked at 0-0.

After the restart, Oquassa Chong wasted a good chance to extend Harbour View's lead, and Kimarley Scott also missed for Cavalier.

Cavalier then turned it around quickly. Reid headed in from a corner for 1-1, and two minutes later Ainsworth nodded home with a stooping header after Scott kept the ball alive near the byline.

Reid almost grabbed another in the 89th minute, but his header cleared the crossbar.

Harbour View head coach Lenworth Hyde said the second half physically got away from his team.

"Excellent first half, but after about 10 minutes into the second, we fell flat. We looked lethargic and the fitness of the Cavalier team put us on the back foot for most of the second half and we couldn't contain them," Hyde said.

Even a Harbour View win would not have saved them. Molynes beat Treasure Beach 2-0 to close on 42 points, three ahead of Harbour View on 39. Harbour View join Spanish Town Police, who ended on 26 points, as this season's relegated teams.

Yesterday's Results: Chapelton 2-7 Arnett; Cavalier 2-1 Harbour View; Portmore 3-0 Tivioli; Treasure Beach 0-2 Molynes; Spanish Town 0-4 Racing; Waterhouse 4-0 Dunbeholden; Mt Pleasant 2-1 MBU.