Real Mona, Barbican in rebuilding mode as KSAFA’s top league kicks off

The Kingston and St Andrew Football Association (KSAFA) Championship (Super League) and Major League kick off this afternoon with two games down to be contested in each league.

Real Mona will start their defence of the Championship League against last season’s semi-finalists Barbican at Buttercup Park at 3:30 p.m., and both teams have declared they are in a rebuilding process after losing many players from last season.

Real Mona president Peter Moses said it has been very challenging for his team, given the short time they had to prepare and the loss of key players to other clubs.

“The (preparation) time frame was very short. We had a difficult preparation in terms of players, as we didn’t really get a full squad together until a week before Saturday, mainly because a number of our players went on to play for other teams in Tier II and other leagues.

“But we looking forward to the league. The last practice match we played was very promising. The team came together nicely,” he said.

David Laylor, who coached the team to the title last season, is no longer with the club but Moses expects Laylor’s former assistant Alfred Nelson to do well.

“We have an open mind. Obviously, a win Saturday would be great, but I am looking for them to play well.

“If they play well, no matter the result, the expectation for the season ahead will be good. If the new and more experienced players can gel the way we would like, our first goal would be to get into the semi-finals,” he said.

His counterpart Chris James said, after losing eight players, they are not as strong as last season, and he believes they will have to wait to see what the opposition has to offer before they know the type of season to expect.

“My team is in rebuilding mode. I lost eight players through migration and we have brought in some younger youths.

“We don’t have a big team. So we will use this as a rebuilding year and maybe by next year we can build up a good squad,” James said.

He anticipates that the standard will not be as high as the previous seasons, as many teams have lost players. But he expects the better teams will separate themselves over time.

“Nobody knows what standard the teams are. Everybody lost players. So, until we know the opposition, we cannot assess them.

“Real Mona have some experienced players but our team is very young. So a lot will depend on what the opposition has to offer, but Barbican will put in a creditable performance,” he said.

livingston.scott@gleanerjm.com

Today’s games

Championship League

Real Mona vs Barbican at Buttercup Park at 3 30 p.m.

Constant Spring vs Liguanea at Constant Spring at 3 30 p.m.

Major League

Rockfort vs August Town at Rockfort at 3 30 p.m.

Bull Bay vs Mountain View at Excelsior at 3 30 p.m.