Mount Pleasant Football Academy moved to the top of Jamaica Premier League (JPL) on Saturday (July 3) after they stopped Humble Lion 1-0 at the Captain Horace Burrell Centre of Excellence on the campus of the University of the West Indies.

Francois Swaby’s goal in the 68th minute secured all three points for Mount Pleasant and handed Humble Lion losses in their first two matches of this shortened season.

Mount Pleasant drew with Tivoli Gardens in the first match last week and move to the top of the points standing with four points after Saturday’s victory. Humble Lion stay rooted to the bottom, as they had lost the first match 2-0 to Cavalier.

Cavalier and Portmore United were the leaders of the competition before Saturday’s round of matches as both had recorded 2-0 victory in the first round. Portmore defeated Dunbeholden.

In the match on Saturday, Mount Pleasant missed two penalties in the first half as both were saved by Humble Lion’s goalkeeper Mikhail Harrison, who took over between the sticks this week from Dennis Taylor.

Harrison first denied Leonard Rankine in the fourth minute after he brought down Kesslon Hall inside the penalty area and then he stopped Kemar Beckford’s spot-kick in the 37th minute when the ball was handled inside the area.

Both teams created scoring opportunities during the first stanza. Humble Lion’s Gregory Lewis, however, got the best chance of the period, but headed over the crossbar after a cross from the right picked him out unmarked directly in front of goalkeeper David Swaby just outside the six-yard box.

Mount Pleasant would eventually take the lead when Francois Swaby lodged the ball into the back of the net from just inside the penalty area after a good build-up that involved short snappy passes from several players.

Mount Pleasant’s coach, Paul ‘Tegat’ Davis, was pleased with this week’s performance by his charges, who he had criticised in their first match. He said he changed his formation from the usual 4-3-3 to foil Humble Lion’s strategy.

“I believe we got more energy today from the strikers because we did a makeshift thing. We went to a 4-4-2 today with more attacking, so it paid dividends. Football is like that, we watched the type of system the next team play and then we play towards that,” Davis said.

Losing coach Andrew Price believes Humble Lion improved on the standard of play that was exhibited in their first match.

“I am disappointed with the result but not with the effort from the team. I think the team played very well, moved around the ball well and played much better than we played last week and as the competition continues we will continue to improve,” Price said.