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Rankine off the mark at Cavalier

Published:Monday | October 22, 2018 | 12:00 AMNodley Wright/Gleaner Writer
Ricardo Makyn
Leonardo Rankine (left), then of Sandals South Coast, goes into a header with UWI FC's Patrick Brown in their Red Stripe Premier League (RSPL) encounter at the UWI Mona Bowl on Sunday, January 14. Rankine now represents Cavalier FC this season.

Former Sandals and Reno FC player Leonardo Rankine scored his first goal for Cavalier FC as they thumped Montego Bay United 5-1 in the Red Stripe Premier League (RSPL) on Sunday at Stadium East.

The former Mannings School player, who started his RSPL venture at Reno, said he was delighted to score for his new club and hopes to be more productive in the goalscoring department.

"It is a wonderful feeling scoring my first goal for Cavalier, I had a wonderful game. It is the best I've played all season.

"Scoring goals is not really a part of my game as my game is focused on distribution and creation, but I am working (scoring goals) on it to make it a part of my game", Rankine said as he expressed satisfaction with his efforts.

The 22-year-old attacking midfielder, now representing his third RSPL club, says he is hoping for the best at his current club as he is enjoying life at Cavalier.

"I started out at Reno FC and ironically made my Premier League debut against Cavalier. From there I moved to Sandals, where I was the main man carrying the team on my back. Now I'm at Cavalier and I'm enjoying it because the team is well rounded and plays good football. I have to just continue working hard and put my best foot forward," said the player who stands comfortably over six feet.

Rankine said his goal playing at Cavalier is to get himself back into the national team and gain exposure that will get him the attention to land a contract overseas.

"I moved to Cavalier because they are a better team than the ones I've played for. Playing here offers me a better chance of getting a contract overseas and getting back into contention for the national team," he said.

Having already been a part of a national squad that travelled to Trinidad in 2017, Rankine said he knows what is required to get back there and intends to work towards it.

"Well, it's just about working very hard and being very dedicated to training while staying focused. When match days come, I have to put in the performances, score goals and create them to help my team get the three points in every game," concluded Rankine.