We are ready for psychological pressure at Arnett - Duckie
Published:Tuesday | April 10, 2018 | 12:00 AMLivingston Scott/Gleaner Writer
Waterhouse coach Donovan Duckie has predicted that there will be a lot of 'psychological pressure' when his team travels to Arnett Gardens for the return leg of the Red Stripe Premier League semi-final next Sunday.
Duckie, however, said his team is well prepared and they know what must be done if they are to book a place in the final.
"It's simple, there are no expectations for us. We have been taking it a game at a time and we are very focused in every game we play," he said.
However, playing against Arnett and their fans at the Anthony Spaulding Complex is no easy task but he insists they need to win games like these to become champions..
"We do not worry about what we cannot control, we are well prepared, we are very focused and we know what to do. We understand the psychological pressure of going to Arnett, the 12th man is very important for them. But if we want to be champions, these are the games we have to win," he stated.
He added that the 1-0 first-leg victory, courtesy of a Tremaine Stewart goal, was crucial and thought their display against the defending champions demonstrated what he has done with the team over the last four months since he took over the job in November from Glendon 'Admiral' Bailey.
"We have been working for four months and two weeks and everything that has been taught we exemplified today (Monday). If we were a little more composed in the final third we could have put away the tie in the first-leg. But they kept us on edge for the entire 90 minutes and I was pleased with the mental aspect.
"I thought we started the game tentatively as they had the better of the midfield, but the second-half we got more aggressive, we got the go ahead goal and it is very important now for us to keep our composure, as it's just half of the game. So we are looking forward to the next leg, we just have to keep working and analyse our strength. We know their weaknesses and we know their strength, so it will be more match-ups and psychological battles going forward," he said.