JPL relegation won’t slow Chapelton’s Lynk Cup plans
Published:Wednesday | April 19, 2023 | 1:41 AMDaniel Wheeler/Staff Reporter
CHAPELTON MAROONS’ stay in the Jamaica Premier League (JPL) may be over after just a year, but head coach Clovis de Oliveira is adamant about finishing the domestic campaign on a high, as they face Harbour View in the second leg of their Lynk Cup quarterfinal tie at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex this afternoon at 4.
The teams drew 1-1 in last week’s first leg with Oshani Ricketts and Shawn Daley trading first-half goals. Chapelton had also carved out chances to steal a win and an advantage going into the second leg.
Chapelton’s relegation from top-flight football was confirmed after a 4-0 defeat to parish rivals Humble Lion over the weekend, but Oliveira said after their first-leg encounter, he was pleased with the fight the team showed and hopes he will see the same in the return fixture.
FITNESS PROBLEMS
“I liked it very much, not because of the result, but because we saw a different team than the one we got in league games. Now they have come back to focus despite those fitness problems. They know now that we can do it,” Oliveira said after the game.
The prospect of a deep cup run is now the main focus for Chapelton Maroons in a league season derailed after a six-point deduction from which they failed to recover.
De Oliveira was encouraged with the way they pressured Harbour View in the final few minutes of the contest and wants to see that desire continue
“We got some clear chances even in the last three minutes. We could have won the game. We respect Harbour View, they are a quality team but Chapelton is here and alive in the Lynk Cup. It’s another competition, even though we know that the league has gone but we are going to continue to finish at a high level,” de Oliveira said.
Harbour View head coach Ludlow Bernard said he was pleased with the performance he got out of a rotated squad but was cognisant of the way the Maroons finished the first leg.
“The Maroons finished off the game better than us. The complexity of our changes kind of dissolved our game. But I am satisfied with what I got,” said Bernard.
The second game of the doubleheader features Cavalier SC facing Mount Pleasant Academy at 7:00 p.m. The first leg also ended 1-1.