Reggae Boy Reid finds winner for Fulham

LONDON, England (CMC):

Reggae Boy Bobby Reid came off the bench to net a second-half winner as Fulham opened the new English Premiership season with a 1-0 win over Everton at Goodison Park.

With the contest locked 0-0 at the break in the northwest on Saturday, the 30-year-old produced a clinical finish from close range in the 73rd minute after coming on as a half-time substitute to secure the points for the visitors.

"It's always nice to start with three points," said Reid, who turned out for Jamaica at the Concacaf Gold Cup in the United States last month.

"We'll continue to build, we've still got a lot of room for improvement, and we'll get on the training pitch, and we'll do that.

"It's always nice to get three points away at Goodison Park. The lads worked really hard in difficult conditions. [Everton] were really at it, and we weathered the storm, and thankfully we got the goal."

Everton claimed the early momentum, striker Abdoulaye Doucoure forcing a low save out of goalkeeper Bernd Leno in the fourth minute, and Neal Maupay unable to convert from point-blank range after Alex Iwobi's free kick fell nicely for him in the 33rd.

Maupay was again denied by Leno in the 41st minute, with Everton reaching half-time with a hatful of chances but nothing to show for them.

Fulham responded after the break, Raul Jimenez striking the post and Reid putting the follow-up over the top.

The hosts had another excellent chance to take the lead on 67 minutes, Iwobi's 20-yard drive scrambling Leno into a save at full stretch and full back Nathan Patterson blasting the rebound against the crossbar.

Against the run of play, 58th-minute substitute Andreas Pereira swept a cross across the box, and Reid arrived at the far post unmarked to tap in the finish.

Reid had another chance late on but put Harry Wilson's cross over.

In League One, Grenada's Omar Beckles scored an own goal for newly promoted Leyton Orient as they slumped to a heavy 4-0 defeat to Portsmouth at Brisbane Road in east London.

Marlon Pack in the 23rd and Colby Bishop in the 44th minutes handed the visitors a 2-0 lead at the break before Beckles's 51st-minute error and a Kusini Yengi penalty in stoppage time sealed the result.