Cavalier hanging on to play-off spot

Cavalier SC required a massive result to keep their lingering hopes of a play-off spot alive in the Red Stripe Premier League (RSPL). They got that much-needed win on Sunday against a team and at a venue that is quickly becoming their happy hunting ground.

The Rudolph Speid-coached team edged out second place Mount Pleasant F.A. 1-0 in a crucial away win, their third straight at Drax Hall to keep themselves in the postseason conversation.

Chevone Marsh's 26th-minute free kick was all that was needed for the victory and while Speid says that their recent edge over their St Ann opponents is great, he was more pleased that they still had a chance in breaking into the top six.

"All of the victories against Mount Pleasant at Drax Hall, we wanted this one more. This one was the one to keep our faint hopes alive of going through the back door in the play-offs," Speid told Star Sports. "We would have given up all the others to get this one. We were prepared and focus. We weren't surprised [at the result]."

Cavalier managed to accumulate seven points from their three meetings in this campaign and overall it is the third consecutive 1-0 win that the team has earned at Drax Hall. While Speid acknowledged that the re-building process wasn't without its difficulties in terms of generating results, he said he is pleased that his team is gradually improving and raising their level at a crucial part of the season.

Talented young players

"We have a good talented set of young players that can beat anybody on the day. In terms of the importance, it's just that this match we had to win to have any chance of sneaking to the play-offs. We just executed on the day and got the result," he said.

The win has not changed their position in the table but they have moved to 39 points, four points away from the top six and will need to win their remaining four games and get some help from the teams above them in order to have a chance of sneaking into the play-offs. Two of those encounters include league leaders Waterhouse on March 22 and defending champions Portmore United, the following week. Speid says that they are focused on their upcoming battle this Sunday against Molynes United believing that they have an advantage having played all the play-off contenders already this season.

"One of the good things is that the teams that we are closer to catching are all playing each other. I have played all those teams already. They will cause damage to themselves at some point. That is what we have in my favour now. What we really have to do is try and win our next game then we [take] it from there," Speid said.