Maroons to ride momentum, Arnett aim to snap winless streak

CHAPELTON MAROONS, after a slow start to life in the Jamaica Premier League (JPL), have slowly been finding their feet with a win and a draw from their last two games.

Coach of the Clarendon club, Lenworth Hyde, expects their good form to continue when they face off against fellow mid-table dwellers Arnett Gardens in the second game of an Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex doubleheader at 5:30 p.m.

“Things are looking better. I am very happy with how the team is shaping up. We are having a good time with the new players coming in and we just want to continue building that chemistry.

“Arnett Gardens will be another tough game but we are up for the challenge. We have been performing well in training and we are going out to perform and try and get three points,” he said.

He pointed out that the addition of the Clarendon College players since the end of the schoolboy season has increased the training intensity and this, he believes, has made them more competitive.

However, with Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) rules stipulating that each team is allowed no more than five schoolboys per game, Hyde has had to be juggling their young talent very skilfully.

“I would like to have more of them in the team because we have areas that they can fill, so we would like to have everybody.

“But it is the rules, so we are working with it. But we have to be in and out with players. We want to always have a good 11 out there, as the important thing is to have your best 11 on the pitch. If we can have that with good organisation, we can do good things,” he commented.

Arnett assistant coach Eric Rademaker acknowledged that Chapelton have momentum coming into the game.

The ‘junglists’, on the other hand, have failed to win their last two and have only one win in their last five and Rademaker says nothing but a win will suffice.

“We have to win. We have Mount Pleasant next which is going to be a real test. If we go on a three-match streak of not winning, it will be different how we approach that Mount Pleasant game. So it is going to be very important to get back to winning ways on this one. I can’t say in words how important this win is,” he stated.

He added that in order to get the desired result, Arnett must make the most of their chances.

“The last two matches, especially against Humble Lion, if we converted half our chances things would be different.

“We need goals. That gives confidence. Both those matches we had enough chances [in the] first half to give us the confidence and momentum, but we can’t just look at the striker, they have to share the responsibility.

“But with our quality if we get on the right path, we should be able to compete and win.”

livingston.scott@gleanerjm.com

Today’s games

Waterhouse v Faulkland at Drax Hall at 1:00 p.m.

Mount Pleasant v MoBay Utd at Drax Hall at 3:15 p.m.

Cavalier v Tivoli at Anthony Spaulding Complex at 3:00 p.m.

Chapelton v Arnett at Anthony Spaulding Complex at 5:30 p.m.

Vere v Humble Lion at Wembley Centre of Excellence at 3:00 p.m.