GEOFFREY Maxwell kept firmly his goal of a place in the second end-of-round final after his Waterhouse outfit outlasted Humble Lions 2-1 in their seventh-round Digicel Premier League game at Effortville Community Centre on Sunday.

Kevin Lamey and captain Kenardo Forbes shocked the home team when they least expected, by netting critical strikes in the fourth minute of either half.

It took the home side the full comple-ment of attacking changes and a last-gasp effort, in which they threw everything into attack, to pull back a consolation goal from the boots of Kevin Mighty, with two minutes remaining.

The latest win, Waterhouse's fifth in the second round, took them to a clear lead on 17 points, but left them still fourth overall on 30 points.

Seven cards

Sunday's game was one of attrition, in which referee Lewin Purser issued seven cards, including a second half red to Waterhouse's Hugh Powell - a sending-off which culminated in a closing 10-minute dominance by the home side, which remains in the league's bottom tier on 15 points.

Mighty, who had an overhead kick as well as a header saved on the line both times by a defender - with goalkeeper Richard McCallum beaten - was the consistent bright spark for the home side.

However, experience and slightly more possession and organised play made the difference for former champions Waterhouse.

"Both teams struggled with the wet surface but we had a little more possession and that was the critical factor for us," Maxwell reflected.

"They are a competent team and are capable of winning games, but sometimes they are let down by the hype they bring to games like these," the outspoken Maxwell added.

Lamey struck from his team's first attacking move of the game, much to the chagrin of the home spectators who had barely sat in their seats.

He was tightly marked by Zico Herrera for the remainder of the game but the damage had already been done.

Penalty denied

Lamey became increasingly frustrated and was shown the yellow card, and although he escaped getting another, he probably was unlucky not the get the referee's nod for a penalty.

Humble Lions' pre-occupation with keeping Lamey at bay probably caused them to concede the second goal as Forbes sandwiched himself in the Humble Lions wall and rose unexpectedly above Lamey to head home Kemar Thomas' free kick.

While the result definitely advanced Waterhouse's rising status as a genuine championship contender, Humble Lions' latest loss exposed their vulnerability to relegation.

"In terms of what we set out to do it's (loss) a setback ... Even a point would have been good enough," commented Anthony Pringle, technical director of the Clarendon-based newcomers who had been making significant strides since the start of the round.

"The plan was to get past Waterhouse and stay as close as possible to the top six. We started flat in each half and that says it about our mental capacity."