Treasure Beach still eyeing survival
Published:Wednesday | January 17, 2024 | 12:09 AMGregory Bryce/Staff Reporter
IF YOU were to ask Omar ‘Rambo’ Wedderburn, head coach of Treasure Beach Football Club, about his aims for the remainder of the Wray & Nephew Jamaica Premier League season, he would tell you that he hopes to avoid the drop and remain in the nation’s top division.
After 13 games, Treasure Beach are rooted in the relegation zone with two wins, a lone draw and 10 losses to show for their time in the Premier League.
Wedderburn said his team faces a monumental task if they are to remain in the league.
“Well, our main objective is to remain in the competition, so we are not here with the mindset of trying to win the league but we are here with the mindset that we’re gonna remain. It is not gonna be easy as we all know the position that we’re in, so it’s going to be a hard fight going forward from here.”
Treasure Beach earned promotion to the Premier League for the first time in their history after winning the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) National Tier Two competition. In doing so, they become the first team from St Elizabeth to compete in the Premier League in more than four decades.
The team had a fair start to life in their maiden season. In their first five games, they recorded two wins against Lime Hall Academy and Molynes United as well as holding Dunbeholden to a nil-all draw. Since then, Treasure Beach have yet to pick up a single point, stalling with an eight-game losing streak.
But Wedderburn says despite the bleak performances, the team is not panicking as they are still ready to begin their push to climb out of the relegation zone. According to the coach, these losses have proved to be a learning experience for his team about the level needed to survive in the league.
“We are not panicking no time at all. We still have our foot on the ground. It is just now seeing how fast we’re gonna run in this second round,” he reasoned. “As we talked before the season, this wasn’t gonna be an easy season and I think inexperience got the better of us in the earlier part but we live and learn. The worst part is you can only learn fully by playing the competition but you know, we are not stupid in terms of football, so we have to turn all of those beatings into a learning lesson.”
Wedderburn remained tight-lipped about Treasure Beach’s recruitment priorities in the transfer window but insisted the new faces added to the squad are ready to help the team in their relegation fight.
“Everybody is up for the task and everybody knows the task ahead. The positive thing about this now is that we don’t have to try and get anyone to understand what we are up against. Everyone has that full understanding of the task and recognises what we’re up against. It’s bad and not so bad, we’re all focused.”
Treasure Beach are 13th in the league standings, four points behind Molynes United with a game in hand over the Kingston-based team. They are set to take on Humble Lion today at St Elizabeth Technical High School at 3 p.m.