Lawrence: Sandals still have fighting chance

Despite picking up maximum points on Thursday in their 1-0 Red Stripe Premier League (RSPL) win over Harbour View FC, Sandals South Coast FC is still a far way from getting out of the relegation zone, which they have occupied since the start of the season. However, head coach Aaron Lawrence remains adamant that they can stay in the nation's top flight for next season if they can feed off Thursday's morale booster.

"Based on the performance and points we have garnered against a strong and confident Harbour View team, it says a lot for us. We just have to continue to fight, using that morale and confidence booster, going into our next game," said Lawrence, who is positive they can get the better of Cavalier in the next fixture.

"When I look at the result of the other teams ahead of us, they are drawing games, so we are not far off. That is motivation enough to say 'Hey we can fight, we can try," he added.

While Sandals are searching for the ground beneath them, the other two western teams, Montego Bay United (MBU) and FC Reno, have started 2018 on a positive note, looking to break into the play-off spots with their next fixture.

Despite still being in 10th place in the 12-team table with 28 points, MBU have shown signs of making a comeback to the fans. They are unbeaten in six games, but with only one win. The main factor contributing to this run of form is their defence line, which has conceded only three goals in these six games, something that was lacking in the early part of the season.

A team that knows how to keep things tight has been FC Reno, who has only conceded a meagre two goals from their seven matches so far in 2018, despite one loss. Reno, who are in eighth place, will be looking to break into the top six play-off spots on Wednesday when they take on cellar-dwellers Boy's Town FC at the Frome Sports Complex.