Nodley Wright, STAR Writer

Harbour View Football Club extended their lead in the Red Stripe Premier League (RSPL) by one point on Monday night after playing to a 1-1 draw with ninth-place Tivoli Gardens at the Harbour View Mini-Stadium.

Midfield general Jermaine Hue gave them the lead in the 58th minute of a match which really came to life and took on quality in the second half, before Damion Gordon levelled for Tivoli Gardens in the 60th minute.

While they dropped two points, Harbour View were able to increase their lead as closest rivals up to that point, Portmore United and Boys' Town, both lost.

Harbour View improved their points tally to 30, while ninth-place Tivoli Gardens inched up to 19 points.

"We wanted three points but I will settle for the one point. We are still leading the competition," Harbour View's coach Vin Blaine sensibly assessed the game at the end.

He also acknowledged the effectiveness of Tivoli Gardens' substitutes Navion Boyd, Akeem Thenstead and Dane Kelly, who swung the game in Tivoli's favour towards the end as they missed two open chances to score.

Alvin Shaw, Tivoli Gardens' assistant coach, gave his players credit for gaining a valuable point away from home.

"It was a very competitive game, a good-quality game and could have gone either way," Shaw said.

While the game was a competitive one, the spectators had little to excite them until the quality picked up in the second half. Harbour View were lucky to be awarded a free kick and Gordon unlucky to be issued a yellow card.

This free kick, in Hue territory, was duly converted, but with the help of defender Kasai Hines, whose presence caused obstruction for goalkeeper Edsel Scott as the ball crept inside the post.

Two minutes later, Gordon would redeem himself when he climbed ahead of Kemeel Wolfe and headed past Devon Haughton in goal for Harbour View.