MBU banking on senior players for survival

Dwayne Ambusley, captain and assistant coach of Montego Bay United (MBU), says senior players at the club will have to stand up and be counted as the team looks to strengthen its resolve in its fight to avoid relegation or even qualify for a play-off spot in the Red Stripe Premier League (RSPL).

Montego Bay went down to Humble Lion 2-1 on Sunday and currently sit 11th on 16 points, three more than bottom-of-the-table Dunbeholden FC and four behind 10th-placed Harbour View.

But despite the high hopes, the club has for its young players coming through the ranks. Ambusley, who has captained MBU to two RSPL titles, believes the pressure might prove too much for the young players and that the senior players have to lead the way.

"We are in unfamiliar waters, but we have to look at football in a positive way, even though people will say we are in desperation. We have to go to our core players as the core players know what it takes," he said.

TOO MUCH PRESSURE

"Even though we want to set up things for the youngsters and leave it for them, sometimes it is going to get too much for the youngsters. It's going to be too much, with the pressure and the physicality of some of the games.

"So, the seniors have to come and put their hands up and know that they have to fight and that we are fighting for a cause. And we have to show ourselves that we were once champions, and if we are champions, then we have to fight ourselves out of this," he reasoned.

However, he says each game will be like a final, with experienced players Owayne Gordon and goalkeeper Jacomeno Barrett rejoining seasoned campaigners Jermaine Woozencraft and the injured Dino Williams. They will team up with youngsters Deshane Beckford, Johan Weatherly and Jourdaine Fletcher, and Ambusley is confident they will not go down.

"One of my senior players said (yesterday) that if we are going down, we will go down fighting, so we are confident, and I can't see us being one of the two worst teams in the competition.

"Right now, we are playing like the worst team in the competition, but we can't see it (getting relegated) over 33 games," he insisted.

MBU took 10 points from the first round and have taken six so far this round, with three games left, but they are still aiming to surpass their tally for the first round. They hope to make a complete turnaround when the third round comes about.

"The second round is almost dead for us; only three games remain, and we have only nine points to get. So the second has been worse than the first, and we have to do better than that. We have nine points to aspire for, and we want to do better than the first round and win at least two of the next three games," he said.