Speid expects relaxed schedule to be telling
Published:Sunday | May 14, 2023 | 12:32 AMDaniel Wheeler - Staff Reporter
A 1-0 WIN over Dunbeholden in the first leg of the Lynk Cup semi-finals on Friday may be a slim advantage but it is one that Cavalier technical director, Rudolph Speid, is expecting to be telling given a more relaxed schedule.
Cavalier were the beneficiaries of a Shevan James own goal on Friday at the National Stadium East Sports Complex but Dunbeholden have the complex situation of having a short turnaround time, as they will face Mount Pleasant in the first leg of the JPL quarterfinals tomorrow before the second leg on Friday.
While Dunbeholden had Cavalier on the ropes, Speid said he challenged his team to stem the tide in the wake of the former’s busier schedule.
“I knew that they were going to start strong. We gave them too much room at the start of the second half and they played very well. I told them at halftime that we don’t have a game on Monday, but they do. So let us make sure and press them and press them. See if they will wilt first and they did,” Speid said.
“Now they have a lot of issues. They have to decide if they come at us next week Friday or Mount Pleasant (tomorrow). We are just preparing for another week to try and press our advantage.”
EXTRA DAYS
The extra days come on account of Cavalier’s higher finish in the JPL regular season. Cavalier ended second, giving them a place in the semi-final, rather than having to play in Monday’s qualifiers.
While Dunbeholden may have seen the own goal as unfortunate given their play, Speid credited his team’s tenacity given injury concerns to two key players, including Shaniel Thomas.
“There was a reason why they scored themselves. We did apply some pressure in some areas and put the cross where it should be. And that was the result. We are really down to bare bones, but at the same time, we know what we’re about and we want to win,” Speid said.
Dunbholden’s frustrations boiled over in the game with head coach Harold Thomas ejected from the bench in the second half after a confrontation with the referee.
Assistant coach Craig Richards said they felt hard done by some of the decisions but believe they had the upper hand on their opponents before conceding.
“Football is an emotional sport. Some calls went against us. As a coach, you think it could have been in your favour. The referee made a few calls that we thought would have gone our way but it didn’t happen,” Richards said.
“We started very well. We created a number of opportunities but we weren’t able to convert. We started stronger than Cavalier in the second half but it was unfortunate that we gave them an own goal.”
Richards said that despite their thin squad they will be ready to go through their postseason slog, starting with Mount Pleasant tomorrow as well as the return leg of the cup semi-finals on Friday.