 Yeah football is where we begin the Sports Mac zone today action in the red nephew Jamaica Premier League nearing fever pitch as Teams jostle for positions with just five match weeks to go before the playoffs begin Let's first have a look at the match week 22 fixtures And those will include the matches you'll see an asterisk which are the Sports Macs live matches Typically Dunbar Holden and Harbourview against Mullines. That's a doubleheader on Sunday and the Monday game between Dunbar hold the Monday game is typically Against I'll tell you who that would be in a moment Born more waterhouse humble and fair Mount Pleasant Cavalier Montego Bay United Treasure Beach are the other matches on tap Yeah, there is a repeat there of the Monday Typically Dunbar Holden thing Sunday and Monday, so we'll fix that in a moment a key Developing story is a race for the top six places with Dunbar Holden waterhouse and Montego Bay United all having their sights on the last Playoff spot. Let's keen on the top eight of the table and see how that is looking at the moment Mount Pleasant a point ahead of Cavalier who missed the opportunity to go top yesterday in a 2-2 draw with Arnett gardens Tivity gardens are five points off the lead in third spot So are Portmore or fourth but with an inferior goal difference to Tivity gardens Arnett Dunbar Holden Complete the top six spots and waterhouse and Montego Bay United just outside of the top six playoff position looking for a place in the playoffs and pretty key Remaining matches remaining because it would be very interesting if waterhouse doesn't get there because they are perennial playoff Contenders waterhouse so with us to discuss the exhilarating race and more is sportsmax football analyst Lige Williams Lige We want to talk about this race for the last playoff spot because it will mean a lot to the two teams but can we start first by a comment on the Mount Pleasant Cavalier clash the top two clashing this weekend Cavalier had won the first round when they met It could be the key this key result to who actually becomes regular season champions How important is this fixture to both teams? I think it's more important for the psychology like how the psychological aspect of it So Cavalier won the first battle. We all know that Mount Pleasant got the better of Cavalier in the Premier League final last season So psychologically, I think going into the playoffs if Cavalier were to beat Mount Pleasant twice Going into the playoffs I think he would give Cavalier the psychological edge going into if they were to play Mount Pleasant again in the final So Cavalier, I think they'll be going pretty hard to win this game Mount Pleasant They won their last game against Waterhouse missing nine or ten players So I'm not quite sure if all of those players will be returning immediately into the starting lineup or into the squad So and it will be a different contest for them But definitely honest in a psychological way, I think Cavalier it means much more to them than Mount Pleasant Yeah, and I see they're on a 14 game on beat and run Cavalier Joint best on beat and streak with Portmore at the moment, but neither of them are top of the table But I guess that tells something about their consistency and how how steady they have been Yeah, it also goes to say the amount of draws that they've had as well Portmore lead the league with eight draws, I believe so and Cavalier and too far Ben. I think they have six So I do think that this team both teams do think that they have a couple of Attacking kinks that they maybe need to sort out and they will sort them out I think because I have the quality to do so Especially in the playoffs when the games won't be as frantic in terms of the tempo But Mount Pleasant proved last week without their players that are still thinking that they're the best team Going into the playoffs are still thinking that the best team in the island So yeah a lot of quality in the top six And there's going to be a really good race to see who's going to join these top teams, right? And a quick word on Kylie ovry. I had him one in case you missed it this week And I asked him about this clash and he said just be aware He will be ready because I asked him about like what can I look forward from you this week? And he's like just know I'll be ready, you know, so he's excited He's a training player playing now for Mount Pleasant your thoughts on him. Yeah, I think he's a really quality player I was on the show previously and I said that I think he's one of the best one-view one-wingers in the league My pleasant have been moving up all of that talent in terms of Daniel green the Vante Campbell as well So I came on a bailing so they have some of the best one-view one-wingers in the league But I think he hasn't been getting the consistent start so far Yeah, when he comes off of the bench has been making a real impact getting in cross is beating his man I think once he continues to do that the eventually the Contributions go contributions will flow. So yeah, I think he's a quality player And he'll add a lot or is going to continue to add a lot to this month present outfit. Yeah, okay Well, let's have a look now closely leisure at what the contending teams for that layer Last playoff spot have to do because the run into the end of the regular season is Critical to how this may go and when I look at the matches ahead There are some teams that appear to have an easier run in Than than the other is done beholden having the toughest run in here for sure because in Tivoli and the Cavalier They are teams in the top five and the orange Colored Montego Bay United and Waterhouse are playoff competitors. So of the five games they have remaining You could reasonably think that they have four tough ones among them Waterhouse having just two tough ones in Portmore and done beholden and Montego Bay having just two tough ones in done beholden and and Tivoli Gardens and That is not to say that other teams can't be tough but we're just looking at the Position of the teams in the league and based on their form and what they've produced so far this season It does appear that done beholden has the toughest running of them all But I guess you could say that they're at the moment best place to get in because they're already there Yeah, it's a good thing that they do have the buffer of the extra three points ahead of these teams because as I mentioned It's some really tough games Tivoli this weekend. I think if you look at it Tivoli are going to play both done beholden and Montego Bay United But when they're playing them, I think is extremely important as well because they'll be playing the stevely team now as Tivoli are trying to Have a little outside shot to get into the top two But then when they play when Tivoli were to play or if when when they're going to play Montego Bay United It would be the last game of the season Maybe Tivoli won't have everything to play for at that moment in time So it could be an easier game for Montego Bay United at that point in time So I think the fixtures definitely favor Montego Bay United. There are five points away, but Especially considering the fact that don't bolding will have to play both waterhouse and Montego Bay United I think that five points can be cloud back extremely easily. Yeah We have to point out though that the current form of don beholden is pretty impressive They've gone three wins on the truck which they haven't been able to do for a long period this season So it does appear as if don beholden are peeking at at the right time And they're scoring goals as well most importantly and I think just judging off of the quality of the goals that they scored against Harba View in their last game it showed that they're finally Understanding I think what Lenny Hyde wants him to do in terms of the sleek interplay in and around the box How they play in the midfield as well progress in the ball through the third's pretty well Also, so I do think that they're coming into form Especially on a goal score in front at the right time But they're going to be coming up against some really tough teams teams that are very stout defensively Gains waterhouse and I do think that Montego Bay United Although they haven't gotten the wins over the past two game weeks They played Mount Pleasant and Portmore two of the best teams in the competition and they took the lead in both of those games and relinquish them In the Portmore game they relinquished it in the 87th minute I believe so pretty unlucky on there and not to get a win Out of one of those two games and I do think that Montego Bay United are in some good form as well Waterhouse they have some attacking issues But I think they'll be much better this week than last week because they'll get back Andre Fletcher who was on national duty So it's three teams that I think all of them can go into the top six is going to be a really close race going down And what do you think it will come down to? Yeah, I still think that will be when they play against each other, especially because all of them have to play against each other at some point and Especially when it comes down to Dumbo hold in having to play both of them and having to play two teams in the top five as well I think they could falter there because Dumbo hold in having necessarily been the best team when playing against teams in above them So that could be an issue as well So I think in terms of the fixtures Montego Bay United as the most favorable fixtures But Waterhouse if they were to catch form as well in the middle seeing that they're only three points off and Montego Bay United are five points off that could be the deciding factor as well I'm intrigued by this Montego Bay United roster Lege because we know the history of Montego Bay United from they were Siba in the 80s and 90s and so on a real powerhouse in Western football in Jamaica and I look at their roster now And I get the feeling that if they had started the season with this roster They probably would have been in a better position because there were some January transfer introductions That significantly boost the quality of their game and their results. They haven't lost the game since late January Montego Bay United and It just seems that they have a roster now that could challenge but the roster was assembled mid-season Yeah, I agree with you but you know coincidentally a lot of people like to say the phrase attack is the best form of defense and in the case of Montego Bay United I have to agree with them because With Montego Bay United a lot of the players that they brought in in January are attackers As you mentioned Owen Gordon, Brian Brown for example JJ as he's affectionately known down there as well. So a lot of quality players That in the attacking sense, but I think their midfield and their defense has really been stepping up Down as down the stretch when they haven't been conceding goals as many goals as they were before at least And they have been grinding on some results So I do think that having the attack and having the leadership of some of these players who have been there They have Owen Gordon as I said who has been the Jamaica Premier League top scorer Brian Brown as well So I do think that the leadership in accordance with what they've been producing on the field. That's led to them being more Strong defensively as well producer Ramon is reminding me that a while I suggest that they haven't lost the game since late January They did lose one on the field to umbilan, but they got it in the Stewards room you might say because there was an ineligible player for home They didn't have that defeat but it's three points. Yeah, those things can can boy a team on as well because they're saying okay We didn't play this well. Yeah, we got the last or maybe that game was that televised one Maybe Montego be knighted played the better football and that day and home ball and got a bit lucky So I think getting that result could have even said all right We're going to do this now and then immediately after those two that result they played against Monty at Mount Pleasant And Port Maria knighted and got two good draws. So I think it hasn't tilted their confidence whatsoever I'm going to go be a knighted and really good form as well Yeah, can you talk to us Lige about water houses in consistency this season because I said at the start of the segment that It would look really weird to see the playoffs without water house. They are perennial playoff Competitors water house, but their their season has been so fluctuating, you know Bad bad weeks good weeks, and they just have no steadiness Yeah, it was a similar thing last season as well when they were struggling to get into the playoffs didn't get there in the end So I think when it comes down to water house It's a tactical issue. I love Marcel Gale. I think he's a fantastic coach But tactically I do think that they have their issues, you know, they don't have a lot of width Especially when Andre Fletcher isn't in the team and even when he is in the team Then either Thomas on the other side doesn't keep the width effectively because he likes to drift in so does Andre Fletcher So I think they have a with issue and that clogs the middle and that makes it them easier to defend Especially when they're not zipping the ball around as well as they usually do So tactically, I think that they need to do one of two things Which is either to get with or maintain with or they need to start playing on the transition a bit quicker and try and get more Balls into Javane brand because he's a league's top scorer joint top scorer and even in that game against Mount Pleasant last Week and all of the shots that he have were really snapshot So I think they need to get him more service They need to get the ball in between the lines quicker need to get on the transition quicker And I need to hold with better and I think that could be their formula for success Yeah, and with the fixtures that they have coming up. Do you think it will be? Easy route for them. I don't think so. I think that they have although don't beholding have the toughest fixtures I think they're in the best form especially with scoring goals and winning games And that's going to continue And Montego Bay has the easiest fixtures. I think waterhouse are somewhere in the middle I wouldn't be surprised if If they were the team that were at the bottom of the pile of these three teams going into the players Yeah, I just wanted to emphasize Waterhouse is Unsteadiness by the fact by mentioning the fact that they have only Recorded back-to-back wins once so far this season rounds two and three and they Haven't been able to do that and for a team with waterhouse's quality To be able to not be able to score more than two wins Back-to-back weeks should be very worrying for coach Marcel Gale Yeah, but I still do think that he's doing a lot with the squad that he has at his disposal They've lost a lot of plays you think about someone like Shaquille Bradford who has gone on to score 10 league goals this Season for Harbourview and Mount Pleasant where he is right now. He Isn't there anymore. Yes, they replaced him well with Javain Bryan But I think if you look across the squad the last Ramon Howell as well to Mount Pleasant So that's a leadership that's leadership in addition to being one of the best midfielders in the league So they've lost a lot of players and their older players, you know Maybe like a Keithy Simpson Maybe isn't doing the job that he used to couldn't do but you know He still has to be in there for his leadership and he probably still has more quality than the other players So I think it's a tough spot for them to be and I don't think that they have the best squad And I think that they're performing pretty well with the squad that they have but as I mentioned There are still some tactical issues that they could fix that they're getting wrong at this current moment Yeah, every time you talk to Lenny Hyde the Dunbar Holden coach post-match He keeps making references to training and and needing the players to put more out in training and There is even a hint that maybe some of them aren't turning up for training as regular regularly as as they should Do you get that sense that that the Dunbar Holden roster? isn't Isn't being as disciplined as coach Lenny Hyde wants them to be You know Sir Lance is actually really good that you said that to ask a question because when you do a Dunbar Holden match live you're working on a Dunbar Holden match live and you're in the commentary booth You know Lenny Hyde if anyone knows Lenny Hyde seeing him when he's coaching. He's always sitting down relaxing This is the first season I've ever seen him just up He's up. I remember in the game that they played a couple weeks ago at Jackson They won't end up winning the game comfortably. Yes against my lines But when it came down to it especially when they were training at half-time weren't they? Not at this occasion. Okay, they weren't doing the game. He was he's saying I told you the same training last week Left move the ball left move the ball left and that's not something that Lenny Hyde usually does So I think you asking that question just goes to show that it's it's being seen that maybe they don't look the best Prepared coming into games because even when you look at it a lot of their goals come in the second half of games So I think that's when Lenny Hyde and his coaching staff would make those adjustments Point out the weaknesses of the opposing team and that's when his team would begin to flow So if they're going to come into games Being a bit underprepared that's going to harm them when they're facing the better teams And maybe that's what has been happening because they have struggled against a better team so far this season And they're going to have to fix that issue starting this weekend before the game. Yeah Yeah, that's a very good question. Yes to be more pointed in the Point that I was making didn't he not start with Nelson in a recent game? Yeah, he didn't start with him He was his he's their best Goal scoring Yeah, and and and he came on and scored a lot of goals and that that yeah a hat trick and an assist Yeah, and I think that was a moment when I think Lenny wanted to make Nelson realize that he needs more out of him But if he isn't giving what he wants in training then he'd probably not start Yeah, that was I think of an illustration of the point that we were making Yeah, Lenny Hades are disciplinary and after all, you know, he he's a very easy-going guy to the eye But we know that when he comes on to his football he takes it very seriously So that's not a surprise and I'm sure he has full confidence in his squad that even someone of Nicholas Nelson's prowess If he's not playing he can get much more out of other players as well Maybe even a Marlon Allen who has come in and gotten gotten on the scorching it as well playing well So yeah, don't ball in our quality squad But it's a good point he made maybe about them not being as prepared as they need to be going into games Yeah, and just a correction not three assists, but he he had three assists and not he didn't have a hat trick of goals Yeah, I had to come assists. Yeah, and he got he got a hat trick the following week So he's very good and their goalkeeper looks fitter than I've seen him in about six or seven years They mean higher. He's playing pretty well springing around. He wasn't tested too much against higher above you Yes, but I know in the in the games as I still do see some defensive frailties in Especially in that maligns game where they had to come from behind and win 4-2 I believe so He hasn't been working too much and usually when he has to work It's him picking the ball out of his neck because his defense are allowing some really easy chances to come to him But yeah, yeah, he does look pretty good this season Yeah, I on another show we'll talk about how both of you's woes because that would take up the I'm having a little sympathy here for Ludlow Bernard who is having you know Well, he doesn't have much here at the moment because I was about to say he's losing here trying to deal with the hub of you is Treacherous form. Is that what happens here Lance? He used to coach a team. No, no, no, no, I didn't Isn't my jeans to not have here. Oh, okay, it's hereditary Okay That's our primarily segmented red nephew Jamaica primarily getting really really hot as we get to the closing weeks of the Regular season and look toward the playoffs. We go to break We have a lot more football to talk on the Sportsmax zone and a lot else as well back on the other side of the break