Laylor confident of fixing Calabar problems

Following their 4-0 defeat to Kingston College in their Group B Digicel/ISSA Manning Cup game on Tuesday, Calabar's coach, David Laylor, is convinced that he knows exactly what the problems are and how they can be fixed.

Despite losing two of their three games so far this season, Laylor is confident that they can bounce back and book a second-round spot.

"For me, this has been a good assessment. KC is one of the better teams, if not the best, so at this particular time, it was a really good opportunity to assess things. This game really showed us exactly where we are at this present time, and we now know exactly how to fix things," he said.

Laylor replaced Lijyasu Simms at the last minute, and has not had much time to work with the team coming into the season, but he believes that he saw enough in their game against KC to make the necessary adjustments.

"I'm just getting a feel of the guys and knowing who can play where. I believe I had a fair assessment of the back. I will look at the middle of the park, and we will need some adjustment, but the best thing was to see how the team played under pressure.

"In the first half, we had the defensive unit intact and in place. So now I know who will play at the back, in the middle, and up front. Plus, we have had a short time to fix things because I just got at Calabar late and trying to fix things, so going forward, it's a win-win because I know what to fix now," he said.

Laylor is also confident of turning their results around and claiming a place in the next round of the competition. "It's early days. We are still in the first round, and we have a couple games remaining. We just have to look at where we are now, and after this (KC) game, and when we fix a few things, I know we will do well," he continued.

"The team can only get better. I am positive because I now see what I have to work with and know how to go forward so we can bounce back. KC won a good game today, and we give them their props. But we have to fix what we have to fix at Calabar to ensure we come out of this round, and I believe we can fix it," he added.

Calabar bounced back with a 1-0 win over Clan Carthy at the Franklin Town Sports Complex yesterday.