Despite concerns over his Jamaica Premier League champions Harbour View FC having a target on their backs this season, head coach Ludlow Bernard believes his team is prepared enough to get off to a good start to the 2022/2023 season which gets underway in just over a week’s time.
Harbour View opens its title defense against newcomers Chapleton Maroons at the Tony Spaulding Sports Complex in Arnett Gardens and Bernard knows that to go from being underdogs to defending champions can bring unwanted pressure and is a cause for concern.
“It has to be a concern because some of the players will be in a territory that they are not accustomed to,” he told Sportsmax.TV at the launch of the 2022/2023 Jamaica Premier League season at Chillin Restaurant and Bar on Holborn Road in Kingston on Thursday night.
“What is even going to make it even more challenging is that we will be going to the oppositions’ venues.”
However, Bernard, who in 2021 became the first coach to win titles with a high school team (Kingston College) and the Premier League title, believes the expected pressure could make the team better.
“Development-wise I think it’s good for them. It’s good that they get that kind of experience but I think we would have prepared them well over the last season to deal with the rigours of relegation, going to the opposition home venue and the thrust and grind of the league itself so we are looking forward to it and we will be prepared.”
Harbour View lost a couple of players in the form of influential mid-fielder Shamar Dyer who is now playing in Antigua and Phillan Lawrence, who has not reported back to the club for reasons unknown.
However, they have bolstered the roster with Trayvon Reid, goalkeeper David Martin, Romario Palma and Demar Rose, who Bernard believes will be a good addition to the club.
“Demar Rose is somebody that I have worked with before and a player that I admire and think would fit into our system so we expect that the fire-power will be there and we are looking forward to a good start,” Bernard said of the midfielder who came up through the Harbour View FC youth system having played with the Stars of the East from the U13 through to the U20 programmes.
A good start, Bernard continued, is going to be instrumental to the club enhancing their chances of a winning sixth Premier League title this coming season.
“The aim is to get out of the blocks as quickly as possible because there will be a break in November and we don’t want to get caught behind,” he said.
“Preparations have been a little bit behind. I think, probably, we need a couple more games but the experience that we have I think we should be able to manage ourselves in the early rounds at the start.”
Jamaica Premier League champions Harbour View FC are to travel to New York City where they will face off with a Caribbean All-Star team in the VM Group Cup on September 3 at Old Boys High School in Brooklyn.
The Caribbean All-Star Select team will likely be comprised of players from the Caribbean Premier League Soccer Tournament including Ojai Bedward, (Jamaica), Clive Murray (Grenada), Kele Sylvester (Jamaica), Kendon ‘Pimaz’ Anderson (Jamaica) and Trayon Bobb (Guyana).
Head Coach of Harbour View FC, Ludlow Bernard, said the match is very important to the Stars of the East.
“This opportunity provides development, visibility and exposure to many of our young players. As the new five-star generals in Jamaica, we are enthusiastic about facing this international XI,” he said.
“Football fans in general, and Harbour View fans in particular, can come out to see a young Trayvone Reid, our new, sensational goalkeeper Anthony Bennett as well as Jahshaun Anglin, Phillon Lawrence and Nicholas Hamilton. These are all upcoming stars for Harbour View. We look forward to your support.”
Meanwhile, PFJL Chairman Chris Williams is urging fans to support the event.
“The PFJL is happy that we can connect with fans globally. This is the first step towards taking the game on the road as we continue to grow our fan base,” he said.
“Our goal is for Jamaica to be known as a football country in the same way we are known as a track country. We won’t stop until we achieve that goal, so come out and support the event.”
Devon Barrett, Group Chief Investment Officer at Victoria Mutual Group, sponsors of Harbour View FC and the tour to New York, looks forward to the match-up.
“The VM Group picked a team that we thought would take it to the next level. They proved us right by winning the league,” Barrett said.
‘We at VMBS use the tagline ‘transform your everyday lives’ and we have seen the transformation of Harbour View from when the season started to how it ended. We will continue to support their growth.”
The football fiesta kicks off with a match featuring 8-10-year olds from the Griffin Football Club at 2 pm. At 4 pm, former Manning & DaCosta Cup players will square off in an all-schools match featuring the likes of Altimont “Freddie” Butler, Paul Young, Gregory Messam, Alton ‘Noah’ Sterling and Howard “Magic Head” Kerr among others.
September 3 marks the Labour Day weekend in the United States.
Defending champions Cavalier got the new Jamaica Premier League season underway with a win against Arnett Gardens FC in an enthralling encounter at the UWI-JFF Captain Horace Burrell Centre of Excellence in Kingston.
Central defender, Jamoi Topey, gave Cavalier the lead in the 60th minute before Chavany Willis got an equaliser that he thought would salvage a draw in the 96th minute.
Cavalier forward Shaniel Thomas had other ideas as he slotted home a right-footed effort in the 97th minute to secure a win and three points for the two-time champions.
The second match on Sunday was also an exciting one between four-time champions Waterhouse FC and Montego Bay United, who have also won the title four times.
Montego Bay United took the lead in the 57th minute through Giovanni Reid before Waterhouse equalised in the 72nd minute through an Andre Fletcher penalty.
Waterhouse completed the comeback in the 81st minute through a goal from Devroy Grey. The action then shifted to Monday, January 17 with two more matches.
Dunbeholden FC and Vere United FC contested the first game with Dunbeholden securing a 2-1 victory.
They took the lead in the eighth minute through an excellent header from Atapharoy Bygrave before Lampard Neil tied things up for Vere in the 57th minute.
Substitute Jahmiel Hardware secured the three points for Dunbeholden with a well-placed free kick in the 92nd minute.
In the second match, goals from Warner Brown in the 42nd minute and Shai Smith in the 87th minute ensured that five-time winners Tivoli Gardens FC and seven-time winners Portmore United FC played out a 1-1 draw.
On Tuesday, four-time champions Harbour View FC and Molynes United FC played out a 2-2 draw thanks to double strikes from Trayvon Reid and Nicholas Nelson.
Nelson gave Molynes United the lead in the 42nd minute before Reid made it 1-1 in the 45th minute.
The 58th minute saw Nelson get his second to give Molynes United a 2-1 lead before Reid once again equalized in the 90th minute to ensure the points were shared.
In the second game on the day, goals from Daniel Green in the 14th and 43rd minutes, as well as strikes from Allan Ottey in the 17th, Ricardo Morris in the 45th, and Donovan Segree in the 90th helped Mount Pleasant FA secure the biggest win of the round, a 5-1 rout of Humble Lion FC.
Cory Hylton got Humble Lion’s consolation goal in the 83rd minute.
The second round of matches kicks off on Saturday.
In-form striker Oquassa Chong scored in the 74th minute to steer Harbour View to a 1-0 win over Molynes United in their Jamaica Premier League match at the UWI-JFF Captain Horace Burrell Centre earlier today.
Humble Lion climbed off the bottom of the table with a convincing 2-0 win over Harbour View Sunday and reignited their slim chances of making the Jamaica Premier League playoffs.
Goals from Man of the Match Andrew Vanzie from the penalty spot in 61st minute and substitute Levaughn Williams in the 87th minute propelled the Clarendon-based to just their second win of the season.
Vanzie expertly dispatched the penalty after goalkeeper Akeem Smith was adjudged by referee Kevin Morrison to have fouled Andre Clennon. It was Vanzie’s third goal of the season and his second from the penalty spot.
Then Williams, who replaced Javane Thompson in the 65th minute, sealed the victory when he tapped home from close range with the Harbour View defence all over the place.
It was a most crucial win for Humble Lion as their six points see them climb from 11th to 10th but, more importantly, they are just three points from of a top-six playoff spot.
Holding that last playoff spot is the tumbling Harbour View that lost their third match of the season and is sitting in sixth spot on nine points. With log jam in the middle of the table, the battle for the playoff positions is heating up as even bottom-placed Arnett Gardens on four points are still in contention.
The Clarendon-based Humble Lion, the usual standard-bearers of the parish, has been upstaged by the less established Vere United that sits atop of the Jamaica Premier League with 14 points and has basically already secured a spot into the playoffs.
Vere United, formerly Jamalco FC, has emerged as the top team in Clarendon which was confirmed by their 3-1 win over Humble Lion in the second round.
Andrew Price has stuck with the task and there is now hope for Humble Lion.
It was a very good win over the Stars of the East led by captain Andrew Vanzie, Andre Clennon, Afiba Chambers, Lorenzo Lewin, Leonardo Jibbison and Levaughn Wiliams.
But this could have been different had it not been for some outstanding goalkeeping from Humble Lion’s captain Dennis Taylor who made some important saves throughout the game, especially in the first half when he denied Lennox Russell and top marksman Oquassa Chong on the stroke of half time.
Harbour View blanked Dunbeholden 2-0 in the feature game of the Jamaica Premier League at the UWI-JFF/Captain Horace Burrell Centre of Excellence on Saturday.
Jamaican players Lamar Walker and Jashaun Anglin have been signed by Miami FC in the United Soccer League, the club announced today.
Mar 28, 2023 NBA
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