Tomlinson: Reno on a mission to reclaim top-flight status
Published:Monday | April 15, 2024 | 12:11 AMLivingston Scott/Gleaner Writer
It has been more than 10 years since FC Reno last graced the nation’s top-flight football league.
However, interim coach and club executive Everton Tomlinson says the club is on a mission to reclaim its Premier League status this season.
Recently, the Westmoreland club was docked six points in the Jamaica Football Federation Tier II competition, three for using an ineligible player, and three after Hope Well withdrew. That resulted in the team falling from third to sixth in the standings, five points off a play-off spot. Nevertheless, Tomlinson said they have used their situation as motivation, and their 1-0 win over league leaders Racing United on Saturday was proof of that.
Racing lead the Jamaica Football Championship with 40 points, followed by Tru-Juice on 37, then Chapelton and Baptiste on 27, to complete the top four.
Reno have 24 points, but have more than enough time to reclaim a top four spot with eight rounds of matches to go.
Reno were one of the premier teams in the national league during the 1980s and 1990s, wining three local Premier League titles in 1990, 1991 and 1995. They were relegated for a second time in 2012, after first being demoted in 2009.
“Playing a team like Racing who have been in form was never going to be easy,” Tomlinson told The Gleaner.
“The first time we played we lost 1-0, but we realised that they could have been beaten. So our preparation going into the game was definitely to go for a win. It was also important as we had lost six points and we had to get ourselves back into position to regain our spot in the top four.”
Tomlinson said that while home team Racing put them under considerable pressure, he thought their discipline paid dividends on the day.
“It wasn’t an easy battle. They really play hard at home. They are a very good team, very tough opponents. But we did exactly what we knew we should to ensure that we came away with the victory. We were more disciplined than them, and that really made the difference,” he said.
“There are some areas of concern that we will have to address going forward, but everyone put in the effort, and the guys played like champions and did enough to ensure that we won the game,” Tomlinson said.
Tomlinson, who also had high praise for national under-18 defender Jazen Williams (scorer of the winning goal), said that after a decade, it’s important that Reno get back to the Premier League.
“We cannot afford to lose or draw games now. We lost six points, so we have to win every game under any circumstance, and we are prepared to tough it out and ensure we win our matches.
“We need to be in the Premier League. The west is depending on us because when we do well, western Jamaica football does well. So that is a message that we are carrying forward. It is time now, long overdue; and it is a very serious push from Reno this year,” the Reno interim coach said.