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Alanzo Adlam ... a key figure for the young Sporting Central side.

Audley Boyd, Assistant Sport Editor

THEY WOULD have done anything for a victory at the end of last season as they battled to survive relegation.

Barely into this new season, Arnett Gardens find themselves entrenched in another desperate struggle to get a win.

After three matches, the red-and-black standard bearers from Trench Town are rooted to the bottom of the 12-team standings without a goal and a point, slipping to gut-wrenching and identical 1-0 losses to Boys' Town, Portmore United and Waterhouse.

Seeking redemption

Today, they travel to Brancourt seeking redemption in a 3:30 p.m. fixture against Sporting Central Academy in one of six fourth-round Digicel Premier League matches.

"I think the team has moved past those three losses and they have regrouped," Arnett Gardens' coach, Jerome Waite, told The Sunday Gleaner. "We know Sunday's game will be a tough game at Sporting Central. They are a youthful bunch, we know it's not going to be easy but the key aspect in terms of the preparation was to take time out and work on the mental toughness and the area which is not doing well, which is finishing."

In all their matches, but for the ever-present Kevin 'Pele' Wilson, who figures big on offence, Arnett have chopped and changed their team, yet wasted 'bread and butter' scoring opportunities. But Waite is convinced the time is ripe for a change in fortune.

"I believe we can go down there and turn the tables. It will be all good for the team to bounce back," he said. "The team is not playing bad. It's just that it is not putting away its chances, so that's what we are going to Sporting Central to do."

No sporting mood

The problem is, unlike its name, the Clarendon team will not be in a sporting mood.

"We are not really concerned about Arnett being nil from three," said Chris Dawes, the former Reggae Boy and star Clarendon College offensive player who now coaches Sporting Central. "What we want to do is to improve on our home record from last year. To be honest, it was average. If you want to do well in the league you have to have a very good home record."

After starting with a home win over Reno, the young but enterprising Sporting Central have four points - shelving it out evenly with a draw and loss on the road.

During the past week, the club underwent an ownership dispute that was played out somewhat in the public, but the ever-relaxed Dawes said that will not be a factor today.

"It hasn't affected us at all. We don't pay any attention to the off-the-field issues. The manager assured us that he's taking care of that so we just focus on the match against Arnett." They lost their last game on the road and now, especially, because they are playing at home, Sporting Central will be going all out to secure their second victory. "The last two games we were disappointed because we should have gotten four points on the road.

"We are very anxious to play at home because we know that we will be getting the home support," he said. "We just have to ensure that we get three points at home."

Left trailing

They are now holed up alongside Boys' Town with the second highest tally, trailing the big trio of Harbour View, Portmore United and Waterhouse, who are all tied on seven points.

Hughan Grey has been the dangerman for the Clarendon team, scoring three of their four goals, while Alanzo Adlam, one of their five national Under-20 players, has accounted for their other strike.

Unlike their opponents, scoring has been a feature of the second-season Premier League outfit, but they have a tendency of going from one extreme to the other - either winning or losing - which has not helped their cause.

But Dawes thinks exposure has tempered that habit and Sporting Central have grown in stature.

"Last year, even when we played excellent, we lost games. It all boils down to maturity. I think we are much more mature this year," he pointed out. "I saw where in the pre-season, when we were playing badly, we ended up drawing the game or winning the game. A sign of a good team is when you are playing badly and can draw or win the game. Hopefully, that will happen for us."

Given Arnett's falterings, when asked if they were catching Arnett at the right time, Dawes responded: "I don't know. It could be, or they can be like a wounded animal coming out fighting. What we know is we need to get three points at home."

Elsewhere, on a fixture which distinctly favours home teams, champions Portmore United and fellow leaders Harbour View and Waterhouse are expected to take all points on offer.

Boys' Town should also secure victory at Collie Smith Drive, while unbeaten Tivoli Gardens, hungry for success, should double their points tally to six by securing their first tally in the 'win' column this season.

Today's games