Laylor: Cavalier youngsters fuelled by Caribbean championship experience
Published:Monday | May 30, 2022 | 12:12 AMDaniel Wheeler/Staff Reporter
CAVALIER’S MAIDEN voyage into regional competition may have ended in disappointment but assistant coach David Laylor says that their Caribbean Club Championship experience has provided valuable learning experience for his players.
Cavalier returned to the island after finishing their 2022 Caribbean Club Champion journey, eliminated from the group stage after earning only one point from their two games. They lost 3-2 to eventual champions Violette of Haiti, and drew 3-3 with Cibao FC.
The team was hampered by injuries to key players, as well as COVID-19 cases, which left them at one point with a thin list of reserves. Laylor said that, while they are not making excuses for their disappointing run, it was a situation that left the team vulnerable.
“Those were the real issues, injuries, the cases of COVID-19 and, once they tested positive, they couldn’t play. So, even though they were up and running and you didn’t really look at anybody being that sick (they couldn’t play),” Laylor told The Gleaner.
“(But) it was a good experience, irrespective of the result, in terms of the games, it was a good experience. We could have done better, much better but, of course, we had a lot of challenges.”
TOP GOALSCORER
Among the positives for Laylor was the play of Dwayne Atkinson, who was the competition’s top goalscorer. He scored two goals in the tournament, both during the 3-3 draw with Cibao. Laylor said that his play took the coaching staff by surprise, given his struggles domestically.
“It came as a surprise and himself and the other youngsters who performed so well. We know he hasn’t been scoring so much. To go overseas and score two goals, he really performed well,” Laylor said.
Exposure to regional competition has been one of the goals for the club, as it continues its youth development philosophy. That philosophy saw them end the 40-year wait for a Jamaica Premier League title last season. It was that triumph that earned them the opportunity to compete at the Caribbean Club Championship.
Laylor says that, despite falling short, the experience has lit a fire within the team, not only to have a strong finish to their domestic campaign but to return to the regional stage again as Concacaf changes its competition structure for next year.
“The reality is that a lack of experience in travelling and playing at that level would have affected the team. But, nevertheless, I think the team performed well. These youngsters felt, if they had put in a little bit more, they could have done much more better,” Laylor said.
“So, now that they have left with that (knowledge), I believe they are looking forward to a return trip or something of that pattern again. So it was a win-win for us. We can’t look at it any way at all from a negative viewpoint.”