JPL sparks into life from the jump with monster clashes

THE JAMAICA Premier League, powered by Wray & Nephew, kicks off in earnest today with a number of mouth-watering fixtures to commence the long-awaited 2023-24 season.

In the first match of the day, newcomers Lime Hall entertain Montego Bay United with their Brazilian connections at Drax Hall at 1 p.m.

This will be followed by defending champions, Mount Pleasant, against former winners Portmore United at 3:30 p.m., at the same venue.

At the National Stadium, cross-town rivals Tivoli Gardens and Waterhouse square off, starting at 3 p.m.

While Humble Lion host the other debutants, Treasure Beach, at Effortville at 3 p.m.

After bringing the title to St Ann for the first time, Mount Pleasant wasted very little time in bolstering their squad, with additions such as Marlon Allan, Romeo Guthrie, Damari Deacon from Arnett Gardens, the Trinidadian pair of Nathaniel James and Kaïlè Auvray, Troy Jules of Dominica, and Aquassa Chong from Esbjerg fB in Norway.

They will join the likes of Demario Phillips, Ricardo Morris, Leonard Rankine, goalkeeper Shaquan Davis, Ladale Richie and Kevaughn Isaacs.

Sporting Director Paul Christie said the team is in high spirits and eager to start the season with a win.

“We respect the former champions, Portmore United. However, we have been preparing for the moment and the time is here, so we have to go out and execute.

“We are not taking Portmore for granted. We know what they bring. They are the defending Linx Cup champions and we know they have a lot of quality.

“We are expecting a hard, physical game, and they move the ball well. But we are concentrating on our game and we are expecting nothing less than a positive result,” he said.

The Philip Williams-coached Portmore will be relying on the core of their players from last season, including Alex Marshall, Chevaughn Walsh, Keny Charleston, Javick McFarlane, Seigel Knight, Emilio Rousseau and Alvin’s Myers.

In the Corporate Area, all roads will lead to the National Stadium where coach Jerome Waite makes his return to the league after four seasons with Tivoli.

Facing Waite will be a Waterhouse team that has seen a downturn in fortunes over the last two seasons, and although coach Marcel Gayle is confident he will get it right over the course of the season, he knows he is in for a very difficult start.

“We look forward to that game. Jerome Waite is a quality coach, a well-seasoned coach, so we expect a good game.

“He has always carried an aggressive style, and we are (playing) away. So we will have to work on a few things to come back home with something. We want a positive result to start with but we have to go out and execute,” said Gayle.

With the departure of Shaquille Bradford, Gayle will be hoping new recruits Zain Hylton, Denardo Thomas, Andre Moulton and Rohan Beadle can provide the goals.

Tivoli’s form in recent years has not been the best as well, and although Waite promises to make them competitive this season, he anticipates that it will take some time to get the team in sync.

“Tivoli will be up against everything new this season. A new coaching staff, new style of play and system of play. If they can grasp it, going forward I am looking for good things from them.

“Tivoli have a lot of talent. They haven’t done well in the last few years but it is my duty to get the best out of these players. It will be a work in progress and a learning process.

“It will be a competitive one against Waterhouse. Waterhouse has been one of those teams that has always shown consistency. So it will be a tough encounter,” Waite surmised.

At Effortville, Treasure Beach get their baptism against last season’s quarterfinalists Humble Lion, who will once again be led by dead-ball specialist, Andrew Vanzie, along with Roshane Sharpe and Levaughn Williams.

However, Treasure Beach coach Omar ‘Rambo’ Wedderburn says they enter the league without fear and with a mixture of old and new players, and he is eyeing three points.

“We have the simplest objective of any team and that is to remain in the league. We are mindful of the competition and we know it will be a tough task. We respect the competition, but we are not here to lay down,” he said.

“We know it is going to be a challenge. So at no time do we fool ourselves about this competition. We know we’ll have ups and a lot of downs but it’s what we do when we are down to get back up.”

livingston.scott@gleanerjm.com

Today’s Games

• Lime Hall vs Montego Bay at Drax Hall at 1 p.m.

• Mount Pleasant vs Portmore at Drax Hall at 3:30 p.m.

• Tivoli vs Waterhouse at National Stadium at 3 p.m.

• Humble Lion vs Treasure Beach at Effortville at 3 p.m.