Safe hands
Hallgrimsson backs injured skipper’s supporting cast
Published:Wednesday | June 5, 2024 | 12:14 AMLivingston Scott/Gleaner Writer
THOUGH REGGAE Boyz number-one goalkeeper Andre Blake is out for the next month and a half with injury, coach Heimir Hallgrimsson is confident the team is in safe hands with any of the four goalkeepers they have selected for their two upcoming Concacaf World Cup qualifiers this month.
Jamaica play their opening 2026 Concacaf World Cup qualifying game against the Dominican Republic at the National Stadium tomorrow, before playing away to Dominica on Sunday.
However, Blake, the nation’s number one for the last 10 years, will not be available after undergoing a knee operation recently and will be out for over six weeks.
According to Hallgrimsson, Jahmali Waite, who impressively replaced Blake in a few Nations League matches, continues to be very reliable.
Also the outstanding goalkeeper of the Jamaica Premier League (JPL) season, Shaquan Davis is in incredible form, while young Reading goalkeeper Coniah Boyce-Clarke and Atlanta United’s Jayden Hibbert also have the full confidence of the coach.
“Andre took an operation and is out for up to six weeks. He is not going to be in the Copa (America) squad either,” he noted.
“But we are lucky to have loads of good young goalkeepers. Jahmali Waite has stepped in when needed and he has been awesome in his games.
“We have Shaquan Davis, who just played a very good season for Mount Pleasant.
“Coniah Boyce-Clarke, who has played for the youth teams in Reading, and Jayden Hibbert who plays for Atlanta is really a young talented goalkeeper that we were impressed with in Trinidad.
“Not only is he good technically, he is mature in his way of thinking and looks older than he actually is,” said Hallgrimsson.
Waite, the eldest of the four goalkeepers is 25 years old. He is followed by Davis at age 23, then Boyce-Clarke 20 and Hibbert, who is only 19.
With 33-year-old Blake heading towards the twilight of his career, Hallgrimsson said the battle will be on between the four outstanding shotstoppers to see who emerges as the new number one when Blake eventually decides to hang up his international gloves.
“All the four keepers we selected for this camp are not only good currently, they are all future keepers of Jamaica. So it is going to be very interesting to see the fights for the spots.”