Harbour View seek confidence booster
JPL champions face Caribbean All Stars in New York today
Published:Saturday | September 3, 2022 | 12:09 AMLivingston Scott/Gleaner Writer
Jamaica Premier League (JPL) champions, Harbour View, take on a Caribbean All Stars team at the Old Boys High field in New York today at 5 p.m. and although they had to cut the players’ holidays short to get ready for this game, coach Ludlow Bernard believes the early start to the season is a positive.
He said travelling and playing international matches will also be of great benefit when they participate in the new Concacaf Caribbean Cup tournament, which will replace the Caribbean Club Championship in 2023.
“We see this occasion as a precursor for upcoming international games because we will have to travel to foreign lands to play foreign clubs and we do not want when we are travelling to these games it is the first time for some of these players.
“So this trip provides us with that facility to familiarise ourselves with international demands and travel. So this is really good preparation for us,” he declared.
PRESEASON PREPARATION
Although the game is being used as part of the club’s preseason preparations, Bernard insists that the result is also very important to them.
“We will be playing against many of the players in the local tri-state area league. Some are from Jamaica, players who used to play in the Premier League or would have been high school standouts over the past five to seven years.
“There are also players from other Caribbean islands. So we expect them to have a good team with a galaxy of local stars. It will be a cosmopolitan team that will come out against us and they should give us great preparation for the upcoming season,” he said
“But we are looking to win the game because we want to provide ourselves with that confidence coming into the new season and in winning the game we will also be flying the flag of Jamaica very high,” Bernard added.
Apart from outstanding young goalkeeper Anthony Bennett, Bernard will have his full complement of players that claimed the club’s first national title since 2013, but he said the team is not at full fitness.
“We are not in the best of shape, like at the back end of the season, also our preparations have been hampered by the inclement weather in Jamaica over the last few days, however, we managed to put in some work and the motivation and excitement supersedes the shortage of work.
“There is an additional energy to come out and perform in this game. So we are all looking forward to a good day;s game and crowd support on the day,” he said.
The game is sponsored by the Victoria Mutual Group.