Patrick using transfer window to help relegation fight
Published:Thursday | January 9, 2025 | 12:11 AMOrane Buchanan/Staff Reporter
IN A bid to ensure Racing United’s survival in the Jamaica Premier League, head coach Anthony Patrick says the team will be busy in the transfer window.
“We’ve already started by adding a few players, and it’s unfortunate that we only got a few points from the last couple of games. We’ve been playing well, but we aren’t scoring as much. However, we still have additions to make as we’re really eyeing survival in this league, and I don’t think it’s hard for us to do so,” he stated.
Racing United are 11th on 15 points, three ahead of 13th-placed Harbour View and five clear of cellar dwellers Humble Lion.
According to Patrick, there is a paucity of quality players, with bigger teams like Montego Bay United and Mount Pleasant dominating the experienced campaigners in the topflight. That scenario, he says, forces teams to draw for the services of schoolboys to boost their squad.
“When you look around you would prefer to go with the younger lads, schoolboys, as the preferred addition. Just look inside Cavalier, who are the best team in the country at the moment. They have a lot of youngsters. When you look at the better, older players, you’ll see them at Montego Bay United and Mount Pleasant, so there aren’t much around, as the schoolboys will have more to give,” he added.
Racing have also had to make do without the services of assistant coach Donavan Lofters, who has taken his talents to Clarendon-based team Vere Phoenix United to join forces with Craig Butler and Lenworth Hyde.
According to Patrick, while Lofters is missed, departures are part and parcel of the business of football.
“We regret things like that, but we have to move on. Players will go, likewise coaches and management staff. While it’s a loss for us, we have to continue on,” He suggested.
With just 12 goals in 16 games, Patrick believes he has a lock on one of the areas where there is need for improvement.
“We just need to concentrate for longer and longer periods. When you look at the last few games, we’ve been conceding a lot in the last 10 minutes of the game. So it’s concentrating for longer and scoring more goals,” he explained.