Waterhouse, Mount Pleasant look to maintain late-season form

Waterhouse and Mount Pleasant meet in the first leg of their Jamaica Premier League (JPL) semi-final today at 2.30 p.m. at the UWI-JFF Captain Horace Burrell Centre of Excellence, and both coaches say they have been boosted by their teams’ excellent form coming into the playoffs.

In their last four matches, Waterhouse have netted 11 goals and in the process handed Mount Pleasant their only defeat (2-0) under Walter Downes and eliminated defending champion Portmore United, 1-0.

In between those results they also had 4-1 victories over Arnett Gardens and Molynes United.

Waterhouse coach Marcel Gayle said that although their season has been a bit topsy-turvy, they have found their feet at the right time and head into today’s first leg very optimistic of victory.

“In the final analysis, we got things right. We started a bit hesitant, but we have seen growth in the short and medium ,term.

“Now we have started to score goals, and in the last four games we have only conceded a few, while at the other end we have got more than 10 goals, so that is a plus going forward.

“But Mount Pleasant are looking good, so it is going to be a humdinger,” he said.

“Nobody will be holding back. Everyone will have to go out and play. So I am expecting a very competitive game,” he added.

He said that the majority of his squad that tasted consecutive final defeats in the previous two title deciders are all motivated to go all the way this time.

“We are mindful of finishing strong, and we will take every game as a final. The players are very confident, and the mindset is to fight all the way for the championship,” he said. He, however, is a bit perturbed that while they had two weeks to prepare for the semi-finals those two weeks were without games to keep them sharp so they will be relying on their quality and training to come to the fore in the game.

He said that the team will look to senior members of the team like Nicholi Finlayson, Akeem Chambers, Kenroy Howell, Colorado Murray, and Damion Binns, and younger players such as leading scorers Andre Fletcher and Shaquille Bradford (five goals each) to see them through.

Downes, who has also been very impressed by his team’s late-season form, will be aiming to pinch the advantage from the first leg.

Despite their earlier defeat to the Drewsland-based club, Downes is confident that they can turn the tables this time around.

“It’s a two-legged affair, and the best team will win. They finished higher than us in the league, but I’m quite confident that we will go out and give our best

“We have two hard semi-finals, Saturday and Wednesday, and that is what our preparation is for. So I would like the boys to focus on the task in front of them, and the task now is the first leg semi-final,” he stated.

“We have hit the ground running the last five or six weeks, and we have been creating a lot of chances. We had let ourselves down a bit earlier, but in the last four or five games, with a change in personnel, it has given us a new lease on life up front, and it is all coming together at the right time.

“So we will put a lot of effort into the first leg, like last week (quarterfinal) and get that cushion so we can have a different game plan for the second leg.

“But the first leg is where you come and try to stamp their authority, and then the second leg you can come with a different game. But we will approach it like every other game and try to win,” he said.

Mount Pleasant will be looking to in-form striker Jourdaine Fletcher (five goals), Kesslon Hall (four goals), Kemar Beckford, Devonte Campbell, and Daniel Green to provide the goals while captain Ladale Richie and Alwayne Harvey will lead the backline.

livingston.scott@gleanerjm.com