Best and worst of the RSPL week nine

BEST

Dunbeholden

Dunbeholden started week nine too close to the relegation zone. They got a much-needed win over bottom club UWI FC, which gave them some breathing room up the table for now. Their second home win of the season could have been a lot more convincing if Andrew McFarlane had converted his penalty late in the second half, but they will gladly take the three points. It is the first win for the St Catherine-based team in over a month, and this will motivate them to attain more victories to avoid slipping into a relegation battle.

Dean Andre Thomas

Dunbeholden's midfielder, Dean Andre Thomas, was back on the score sheet for the first time since September 22. He will be relied on to keep up his goal-scoring form when they travel to Arnett Gardens on Monday night.

Mount Pleasant FA

Mount Pleasant followed up with an impressive win against league leaders Waterhouse with their first away win against defending champions Portmore United. All signs point to an upward trajectory for the St Ann-based outfit, who are now in fifth place with 13 points, three points from third place. It seems that the attack is finally becoming ruthless, which doesn't bode well for Vere United, who they will play on Sunday.

Harbour View

The Stars of the East have the second best home record in the league after clipping Tivoli Gardens 1-0 and are now in third place with 15 points. The top two doesn't seem so far away now as the gap has been cut to four points, with Molynes United registering their second straight defeat of the season. They have only won once on their travels so far this season, and they can take advantage of a UWI team that is at the bottom of the table when they head to the UWI Bowl on Sunday.

Humble Lion

Andrew Price's charges are now four games unbeaten after their last-minute win against Molynes United, which now takes them to fourth place in the table, just one behind Harbour View. As the top two continue to drop points, it opens the door for clubs like Humble Lion to quietly make their move up the rankings. It is good form to take into their next game against Tivoli at the Edward Seaga Sports Complex.

WORST

Molynes United

Molynes United thought that they had done enough to earn a point from their game against Humble Lion, but they conceded a penalty, which saw them succumb to their second straight defeat of the season. There is no cause for panic yet, but the margin for error is decreasing as Harbour View and Humble Lion are breathing down their necks in the table. They need a response to stop the slide. All focus will be on the much-anticipated clash against Waterhouse, the top two teams so far this season. Not a bad matchup to end the first round.

Portmore United

The defending champions have registered back-to-back defeats for the first time since the opening weeks of the season. They got edged out by Arnett Gardens last week, and in their rescheduled mid-week game against Mount Pleasant, fell 2-0. They fall to ninth place but will be looking over their shoulder at Tivoli and Vere, knowing that they don't want to be sliding further down into a relegation fight. They travel to Cavalier SC, hoping for three points for a positive end to the first round of the season.

UWI FC

UWI are being pulled into a relegation fight, something that they didn't expect going into the season. Their 1-0 loss against Dunbeholden put them at the bottom of the league's table with six points. They have the worst home record in the league, and they have only won one point on the road. Head coach Andrew Peart says that changes may be needed to provide the spark they need to get themselves out of this mess. They host Harbour View on Sunday, desperate for three points to provide relief.

Tivoli Gardens

Tivoli are just a point above the relegation zone as they approach the end of the first round. They were putting together an unbeaten run that was foiled by Harbour View, losing 1-0 at Compound. They will be without the services of Dasha Satchwell after seeing a straight red in that game. They will host a Humble Lion team full of confidence after dispatching Molynes United although they will remember that they lost 2-0 in their last meeting at the Edward Seaga Sports Complex on January 10.