Spotlight still on youth at Cavalier, Arnett

Cavalier and Arnett Gardens FC, two Red Stripe Premier League (RSPL) clubs known for bringing through promising players, have said they will not shift from this policy and will continue to expose young talent in the league this season.

Last season, Cavalier revolutionised local top-flight football with their emphasis on young players, with at least five youth players under 20 in their starting line-up for the majority of the season.

For the upcoming campaign, technical director Rudolph Speid has discarded some of his old guard and has added even more youngsters.

He says they are much better and stronger this season and expect to do better than their semi-final finish last term.

"We scouted and got players, and there are players we will bring through from our youth sides. A few old players have left, but we replenished properly and expect a better performance than last year," he said

The average age of the team's players is under 21. Only two players are over 25. There are 10 teenagers and the rest are between 20 and 25.

"The playoffs shouldn't be too difficult. We should definitely make the playoffs. Winning the title is a focus, but that's not the ultimate goal. The goal is to produce top-quality players for national teams and export,"

Speid said.

Cavalier will miss schoolboys Nicache Murray, Nicque Daley, Dwayne Atkinson, Shaneil Thomas, and Jaedine White due to the schoolboy football season. However, Speid promises a more exciting brand of football.

"We are going to play a top brand of football ... . We want to play good and win, not ugly and win.

The club has also acquired young but seasoned players such as Claudius Blackburn, Michael Parcells, Leonardo Rankin, Ajuma Johnson, and Raheem DePass. He also disclosed that former Wolmer's and national Under-17 star forward Jason Wright was in training.

RICH HISTORY

Arnett Gardens' present youth policy may not be as rigid as Cavalier's but the popular Trench Town club has a rich history of bringing exciting new youngsters to

the fore.

Coach Jerome Waite says it may take his new recruits time to learn their system of play, but he is confident that at the business end of the season, they will be challenging.

Arnett have seven young players ranging from age, 17 to 21 in their squad, including youth products Antonio Radcliff, Zemario Sinclair, and Colin Anderson, who will be looking to make their RSPL debut.

Young players Kimani Arboine and Ronaldo Wright are in their third season, and promising former national Under-20 captain and Wolmer's defender Jahwani Hinds, who joined from Cavalier, will also be looking to make their mark this season while Damari Deacon and Steve Clarke are expected to continue building on last season.

"It's a work in progress and it's about development. It's only a matter of time before these talents will be seen at the Premier League level," Waite said.

Nevertheless, he is confident that they will still be one of the top title contenders again this season.

"I am pretty confident. We have an all-round team. They will be learning through their playing time to understand the system of play and roles and functions," Waite added.

The team lost veteran players Oneil 'Bigga' Thompson, Renae Lloyd, and Keneil Hyde to Humble Lion, but Waite sees the brighter side.

"Only salvation lasts forever. Those players did extremely well for the club. If they move on, you have to respect their decision and hope for the best for them."