Mount Pleasant put one foot into the final of the Premier League, clipping Montego Bay United 1-0 in their first leg encounter while Cavalier and Arnett Gardens battled to a 1-1 draw at the Catherine Hall Sports Complex on Thursday.

Haitian Clifford Thomas scored the winner for Mount Pleasant, side-footing home from just inside the box in the 21^st minute.

It was an evenly contested game that lived up to the expectations, with both teams playing good tactical football.

But Mount Pleasant might have been the more disappointing of the two teams as they missed a couple of chances that could have put them in a stronger position heading into the second leg on Sunday.

In one such occasion, Mount Pleasant’s Nicholas Nelson rattled the crossbar, and before that, kicked into the side-netting from close range.

In the curtain raiser, Cavalier struck first as Jerome McLeary headed home a delightful pass from Dwayne Atkinson in the 27^th minute and looked well on their way to victory. But Arnett Gardens struck, courtesy of Warner Bown in the 80^th minute. With the goal, he extended his lead atop the goalscoring race with his 22^nd goal of the season.

The return leg will be at Sabina Park on Sunday, where the finalists will be decided. The final will be played inside the National Stadium on Labour Day, Friday, May 23.