Bernard takes aim at back-to-back JPL titles
Published:Friday | May 12, 2023 | 1:10 AMOrane Buchanan/Staff Reporter
FOLLOWING the completion of the regular season in the Jamaica Premier League, defending champions Harbour View will lock horns with Humble Lion in the first leg of their playoff tie set for the Stadium East field next Monday with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. The game is the second match of a doubleheader, with Dunbeholden and Mount Pleasant set to clash in the opening match at 5 p.m.
Ahead of the clash, head coach of Harbour View Ludlow Bernard stated that the thought of winning back-to-back titles for the first time at the Premier League level has crept into his mind. According to him, it is at the centre of his current plans entering the business end of the competition.
Bernard added that it, winning back-to-back titles, is one of his motivations going into Monday’s match.
Harbour View team finished fourth in the regular season table with 44 points, and coach Bernard pointed out that while there was no added pressure for him. personally, the players were feeling some pressure, and this could create a challenge.
“Honestly, I haven’t been feeling any pressure,” Bernard said, adding that his work now was to get the players to relax going into the playoff game on Monday.
For his counterpart, Andrew Price, the leader of the Humble Lion outfit, his team’s defence record throughout the 26 games of the regular season could prove decisive in the playoffs. Humble Lion conceded just 15 goals, two less than Portmore, who just failed to make the playoffs.
“Defence wins championships, and we have prided ourselves on our defensive attributes throughout the season and have worked really hard on it. What we want to do is be more prolific in front of goal, and we’ve been working on that,” Price stated.
The experienced coach stated that reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2017 was a success, but collectively, the team was hungry for more, with the ultimate goal being named the 2023 Jamaica Premier League champions.
“We are hungry for success. We are happy that we finished in the top six and managed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2017, but we want more. We’re going to work assiduously so that we can come out and fight every game and ensure that we go for our main goal, which is to win the Premier League,” said Price.