By Neto Baptiste
FC Aston Villa were held to a 1-1 draw by neighbours and rivals, West Ham FC, when they clashed at the Princess Margaret School (PMS) ground on Thursday but still managed to remain in the top two on the 12-team standings.
Villa opened the scoring in the early stages of the first half when Rivero Torres Yasnay struck from close range. Demoted from the top flight last season, Villa then wasted an opportunity to expend their lead from the penalty sport before going on to squander several relatively easy scoring opportunities going into the interval.
West Ham found some reprieve in the second half when Anderson Lightfoot drew them level and eventually secured a point for the struggling team.
Villa move to 13 points and second in the standings after five showings while West Ham earned only their second point of the season as they occupy the 11th position in the standings.
On the flip-side, John Hughes enjoyed a compelling 6-0 victory over the struggling Potters FC when they met in Swetes.
The victors were led by Garcel Morrison with a hattrick as he netted in minutes 15, 29 and 53. There was a double from Demo Bryan who scored in minutes 40 and 50 while Ricardo Thompson scored in the 19th minute.
The win pushed John Hughes to third in the standings with 10 points while Potters continue to struggle in the cellar with just one point.
In the other First Division fixture, SAP and Willikies played to a 1-1 draw.
Meanwhile, in the Second Division, Sea View Farm suffered a shock loss to CPTSA Wings, going down 1-0 at home. The lone strike of the contest came in minute seven from Jamar Peters as Wings moved to 10 points from their five outings. Sea View Farm, despite the loss, remain at the top of the standings with 15 points from six encounters.
Jennings United and Earthquakes played to a 2-2 draw also in the Second Division.