Coach: New faces need time in Girlz squad

Following their 3-0 defeat by France yesterday at the Stade Auguste-Bonal, Reggae Girlz head coach Hubert Busby and defender Vyan Sampson said the team will need time to build cohesion as they welcome new faces to the national set-up.

Liverpool defender Taylor Hinds and Ipswich Town forward Natasha Thomas both made their debuts in yesterday’s encounter, while Reanna Blades and Lulu Jarvis were unused substitutes in their first national call-up.

Busby said, as the team continues to add new faces, it also brings a period of having the players settle into the squad and becoming accustomed to their new roles.

He said the team’s cohesion will come as the players continue to build a solid understanding together through competitive games.

“I think the objective for us is to continue to have some cohesion,” Busby said in his post-match interview.

“I think, when you bring in new players into the group, you can see that they are a bit disjointed. So, the more that we can continue to be together and keep building as a group, then the better we will be.

“As, of right now, we will turn the page and get ready for the next window in Jamaica when we host South Africa, and then we’ll look to build on the principles that we’ve laid this week and look to correct some of the things that we didn’t do as well in tonight’s match.”

Busby felt, despite the loss, the team showed a good account of their abilities against a French team ranked tenth in the FIFA Women’s World Rankings.

LIMITED PREP TIME

He said this was especially so, considering the limited amount of time the team had to prepare for the match.

“Overall, considering the preparation we had, I think we had a good three or four days of training, they responded well. We came up against a really good French team in a really competitive environment. I thought, overall, as the game went on, the team got better, but these are the games that we want to play.”

Sampson, who accompanied Busby in his post-match interview, said yesterday’s match was just a stepping stone in a long-term plan for the team.

“We could always do better but, with the short time we were in camp, we had a few things to focus on and I felt like we gave them a good try. Sometimes, coming into these windows, the moment we’re looking at is not now but further down the line.

“It’s always good to have new faces and we’re always looking to build the team in any way we can,” she added. “As long as we keep making steps every window, taking a bit from every game, then we’ll be where we need to be at the right time.”

Gregory Bryce