Stars of the East on the verge of capturing Premier League title

They may have made heavy weather of what seemed a mere formality only weeks ago, but leaders Harbour View are now poised to claim the Red Stripe Premier League title if they can defeat rivals Boys' Town at Collie Smith Drive.

Up until yesterday's dramatic win over Arnett Gardens at the Harbour View stadium it seemed the Stars of the East could have been headed for a catastrophic slide to defeat, reminiscent of the 2005 season, when the team saw a 13 point lead slowly whittle away before being overtaken by Waterhouse in the final few fixtures.

Again, it was Waterhouse that looked to pile the pressure on Harbour View, having a 12-point lead to four ahead of Thursday's game. However, with a double from Jermie Lynch, his third in two games, those fears seem to be slowly fading away, and the Stars of the East remain firm favourites to claim the crown. Buoyed by the fact that his team ended a seven-game winless streak, Harbour View coach Vin Blaine intends for his team to finish the job come tomorrow.

"We are going there to win," Blaine told Star Sports. "We are approaching it like any other game, we finally got the monkey off our back and we are hoping to carry on this momentum. The players are in very high spirits," Blaine said.

Boys' Town coach Andrew Price may have long seen his team's title challenge fade away after a winless four-game spell and perhaps has one eye on participation in the CONCACAF Championship League, but he insists it will not be easy.

"Our approach will be the same, to be competitive," Price said.

"We want to keep the integrity of the league so Harbour View will have to work for it. It should be a competitive game."

Second place Waterhouse, currently on 59 points, will hope to keep their very faint title hopes alive, when they face a resurgent Tivoli Gardens on Monday night. Having already secured their place in the top six, in sixth position, they could fancy their chances against a Tivoli Gardens team that have very little to play for. Despite things seemingly all but decided in the relegation zone with Savannah already relegated, Highgate some five points adrift of safety may still fancy their chances of catching Humble Lion. Highgate will play 9th place Sporting Central, who suffered a surprise 1-0 loss to bottom place Savannah midweek, while Humble Lion will travel to St Catherine Hall where they face Montego Bay. Montego Bay surprisingly had their three-game win streak snapped by Highgate. Third place Portmore United, who find themselves in the midst of a three-game losing streak, will look to stay above both Boys' Town and Arnett Gardens in the standings, who they will play at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex. In three meetings this season, Arnett are yet to register a win over Portmore United, losing the first game at Ferdie Neita Park and drawing the subsequent two fixtures.

Michael Campbell

Boys' Town

Age: 33

Position: Midfielder

Past School: Clarendon College

Notes:

Represented Galaxy United before joining Boys' Town.

Represented Clarendon College in the daCosta Cup between 1993 and 1997.

Has represented Jamaica at the U17, U20 and senior levels.

Last season's winner of the league's Most Valuable Player award as well as the Tony Burrowes Award for the second straight season.

Evan Taylor

Harbour View

Age: 24

Position: Central midfielder

High School Attended: Godfrey Stewart High

Greatest achievement in football to date: Winning the daCosta Cup in 2005 with Godfrey Stewart when they defeated Glenmuir 3-0.

Favourite international club: Manchester United

Notes:

Has 11 national caps.

Played two World Cup qualifiers for Jamaica in 2008 against Mexico and Canada.

Has scored one league goal so far this season, which is one of the goals of the season contenders. The goal was scored from within his own half against Boys' Town.