Virgo settling into coaching role at Molynes United

AFTER TRADING in his football boots for a coaching whistle, former Reggae Boy Xavian Virgo said he has been settling in as the newly appointed assistant coach for Molynes United ahead of the start of the Wray & Nephew-sponsored Jamaica Premier League (JPL) season.

Virgo spent more than decade in the JPL as a player, representing Boys’ Town, Harbour View, Mount Pleasant Football Academy, and Humble Lion.

The experienced defender last played for Humble Lion in the 2023-24 season, helping the team to a 10th-place finish in the league, just two points ahead of his current club, Molynes United.

He said the transition from player to coach has come with a few oddities but he has since enjoyed it.

“I’ve been settling in quite well with the team. Almost all of the players here know me from when I was a player. It’s a bit strange to them but they have accepted me so far.”

Virgo will be hoping he can draw from his decade-plus experience as a player to help with the team’s preparations throughout the season.

He hopes to bring new ideas to the Jermaine Thomas-led coaching staff as Molynes will be looking to better their 11th-place finish from last season

“For me personally, I am here learning and at the same time using my experience to get information to the players to help the team grow,” Virgo explained.

“With regard to what I have to offer, it is pretty much good experience and a lot of new ideas coming into the team, so I am looking forward to a very good start and a very good finish.”

Virgo said fans should expect the core of the Molynes outfit to remain unchanged for the new season but there will be new faces in the squad to bolster the team’s chances of rising up the table.

He expects Molynes to be fighting for a place in the top half of the table.

“I’m still new here but last season I watched the team play and it’s basically the same squad. The couple of new faces that are here now are players who we think can help last season’s squad.

“Based on the work that we’re about to put in, this team is working very hard and the aim is to get in the top half of the table and we’ll see how we get from there,” he added.

Virgo said there are still pieces to the puzzle left to complete Molynes’ squad ahead of the JPL’s September 15 start.

The team’s preseason is still focused on player fitness as he said new players are still coming into the training session.

Work is being done to get them up to the level needed to create a competitive Molynes unit.

“We are very much improving in terms of fitness and it has been going quite well so far. The players understand that they have to get up to a certain level before the league starts,” he said.

“Some of the players are still coming in, so we’re taking our time gradually integrating them and getting them to that level of fitness.”