Jureidini happy for Hamilton’s Finnish trial
Published:Thursday | March 16, 2023 | 12:58 AMOrane Buchanan/Staff Reporter
DEFENDING JAMAICA Premier League champions, Harbour View Football Club, will be without the services of their leading goalscorer Nicholas Hamilton, who left the island on Sunday for a two-week trial with Finnish club IFK Mariehamn.
From his 16 appearances this season, Hamilton has scored on six occasions, tied fourth in the golden boot.
Clyde Jureidini, general manager of the club, said Hamilton, who has been instrumental in the team’s offence, wanted an opportunity to be seen again on the international market, and as such hopes the move will bear fruit for not only the player and club, but for Jamaica’s football in the long haul.
“It’s good for him to have a trial in Finland, in Europe, at this time. He was in Scotland and Canada for a short time and he had expressed openly last season and throughout this season, that he wanted to be seen on the international club level again. So, this is an opportunity for him to impress and we hope the two-week trial works out to his benefit and by extension, the club and by extension Jamaica’s football in that regard,” Jureidini said.
Hamilton, who is known for his silky dribbling skills, passing ability and extraordinary goals, will hope his recent rich vein of form transfers to the Finnish club.
One of those extraordinary goals, a phenomenal strike in the first leg of a semi-final against Waterhouse last year, earned Hamilton the RJRGLEANER Sportsman and Sportswoman Performance of the Year award.
“When he’s hot, he’s very hot. He had a lull, but has come back in the last few weeks to get goals again. You remember strikers by how they finish, he scores difficult goals and for me that’s his strong point and his weakness. But he takes on difficult tasks and so that makes his goals memorable,” said Jureidini.
As a club, the veteran football administrator said the first order of business was always to properly prepare players so that whenever the opportunity comes around, they are at the peak of their game.
“We first put thing in place to try and prepare all players in getting them as close as we can to their maximum and then look at what opportunities we can find for them. So, the first thing is getting the player and product right on the pitch by proper preparation and then see what comes next.”