Waterhouse produced a clinical goalscoring display on Saturday (Augusrt 28) to thump Arnett Gardens 4-1 in their Jamaica Premier League (JPL) clash at the Captain Horace Burrell Centre of Excellence at the University of the West Indies.

Substitute Andre Fletcher scored a brace in the 51st and 54th minutes with Shaquille Bradford and Damion Binns getting a goal each in the 20th and two minutes into first-half added time respectively for Waterhouse, as Ronaldo Cephas netted Arnett Gardens’ goal in the 25th minute.

The victory, Waterhouse’s largest margin of the season, kept them in the hunt for a place in the second round of the competition and subjected Arnett Gardens to their worst loss, while also placing the latter in a critical position to advance.

The top six teams will progress from the first round of the competition and Waterhouse moved to third in the points standing on 13 points, which is one behind leaders Vere United and second-placed Mount Pleasant Football Academy with goal difference separating the top two.

Three other teams are tied with Waterhouse on points, with goal difference once again deciding the positioning in the points standing as Portmore follow Waterhouse and then Tivoli Gardens and Dunbeholden. Waterhouse have a goal difference of six, Portmore four, Tivoli Gardens two and Dunbeholden negative one.

Those teams are currently in a position to progress to the next round, but are being closely tracked by Cavalier and Harbour View, who are both on 12 points with Cavalier ahead by goal difference.

Arnett Gardens, on seven, are in the ninth position in the points standing and are virtually locked out of a second-round spot. With two rounds of matches to play, Arnett Gardens can only end on 13 points, which four teams are already on.

Arnett Gardens only have a mathematical chance as they would have to win their two remaining matches by wide margins and at least one of the teams on 13 points, as well as Cavalier and Harbour View, falter in the matches that are left.

On Saturday, Waterhouse opened the scoring with a brilliant acrobatic header by Bradford that kept Arnett Gardens’ goalkeeper Shaquan Davis rooted to the ground. Denardo Thomas had done well to dismiss his marker on the left of the penalty box to crossed inside to Bradford.

Arnett Gardens pulled level five minutes later when Damari Deacon was fouled at the top of the penalty box on the right and the free-kick fired into the wall with referee Daneon Parchment ruling that Kymani Campbell committed a handball foul and issued a booking.

The wall was inside the penalty area and the resulting penalty kick was fired past goalkeeper Zemioy Nash by Cephas.

With the first half coming to a close, Waterhouse regained the lead when Binns, lurking at the far post unmarked, steered the ball into the back of the net with his left thigh, after a cross by Campbell was poorly handled by the Arnett Gardens defence.

Fletcher replaced Bradford at the halftime break and rewarded coach Marcel Gayle five minutes later when he scored from a good build-up by Waterhouse that started from inside their half of the pitch. Rafeik Thomas provided a through ball for Fletcher to run on to and beat goalkeeper Davis with a left-foot shot.

Fletcher then extended Waterhouse’s lead when he converted from the penalty spot after referee Parchment ruled that Campbell was knocked over inside the penalty box by Arnett Gardens’ captain Earl Simpson. It was Fletcher’s fourth goal of the season.

Arnett Gardens’ coach Alex Thomas bemoaned his charges not being able to link together after fighting back but hopes that victory in their final two matches will be enough for them to progress.

“It was a very bad performance and a tough loss. We went down 1-0, came back into the game when we got the equaliser but we just came out flat for the second half. We weren’t getting the combination between the midfield and the strikers and that went downhill for us.

“We have to just keep working build on this bad performance as the objective for the last two games is three points from both matches and see where it takes us,” Thomas said.

Meanwhile, the assistant coach of Waterhouse, Damion Gordon credits good teamwork for the victory. He also believed that Fletcher’s and the other substitutions aided their performance.

“I am pleased with the overall performance. It’s collective teamwork today and we are very pleased. In terms of the substitutions, it has been working for us pretty well. We talked about our possessional play today and we did make a lot of offensive passes and we got some goals from that.

“I must commend Arnett Gardens as they are a very good and talented team but today was just not their day,” Gordon said.